The Tyler/Canty roundabout opened Tuesday after two years of construction.
Tyler and Polk became two-way streets today after a brief ribbon-cutting on the roundabout.
The traffic change came 12 years after the idea was first pitched at the Better Block’s nascent event on Tyler Street, says Jonathan Braddick, a resident of Winston Street.
He and other neighbors, including Better Block founder Jason Roberts, discussed it with then-City Council member Delia Jasso at that event, Braddick says.
The one-way configuration of Tyler and Polk for decades created corridors where commuters could “fly through” our neighborhood, Mayor Pro-Tem Chad West said.
“There’s a benefit to that, for sure, but it’s also at the detriment of the safety of our neighbors,” he said.
“I have little kids, and some of you guys probably do too, who are learning how to bike and are walking on our sidewalks and in the streets, and it’s very dangerous to cross these streets.”
Business owner Yesenia Hernandez can attest to that.
A car crashed into her shop Autumn Moon’s original location at 418 N. Tyler in August 2020, and she’s witnessed many other accidents. Autumn Moon has since moved across the street, but she said it feels unsafe to cross Tyler.
“We get a lot of business from Hola Cafe,” on the other side of the street, said Nikayla Golatt-Barrett, owner of Good Cycle. “We’re always afraid for people walking across Tyler.”
Here are a few things to know about the new traffic configuration.
- The two-way switch cost almost $9 million, from 2017 bond funds.
- The roundabout won’t remain bare. Real estate company Good Space enlisted master gardeners and students from Cistercian Preparatory School, who will be installing native plants.
- The traffic lights hadn’t gone live by Wednesday afternoon, and we’re waiting for an update about that.
- The intersection of Kings Highway, 7th Street and Tyler wasn’t addressed in this redo. Nearby business owners say it remains dangerous for pedestrians and drivers, and they want the city to study it next.
