Photo of Jefferson Boulevard by Rachel Stone
A stretch of Jefferson Boulevard that gained attention last year after a professional landscaper was killed by a speeding car has been re-striped in an effort to slow traffic in the 30-mile-per-hour zone.
A four-month traffic study imposed orange barriers on the right lanes of each side and found there were fewer accidents.
That’s why a neighbor-led task force recommended striping the far right lane of the six-lane roadway as the first phase of a lane-reduction plan.
The right lanes were striped with a solid line, which DART buses and cars turning right still use. Yellow lines on the far left give the roadway more of a coved feel. Crosswalks are also being re-striped.
These were the task force’s short-term recommendations:
It’s not ideal, Mayor Pro-Tem Chad West says.
But it’s a low-cost way to encourage traffic changes while neighbors negotiate reconfiguration of the roadway and City Hall finds the money to do them.
“Anything is better than the dangerous situation we have now, and we have time to get it right for phase two,” West says.
Permanent changes could come with bond funding. Here’s what the task force recommended for that.
