LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Progress is being made on a $12.5 million project to convert 2nd and 3rd Streets between W. Broadway and W. Cardinal Boulevard from one-way streets to two-way. However, construction is not expected to start until 2027.
The project is led by Louisville Metro Public Works and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
Louisville Metro Government was awarded a Safe Streets and Roads for All Implementation Grant in December 2023 to fund the project.
"This is kind of the kick-off. We are awaiting our final letter from FHWA but we have been awarded the grant and we're excited to get started," Public Works Director Jennifer Caummisar-Kern said.
In a presentation to the Old Louisville Neighborhood Council Tuesday, Caummisar-Kern emphasized that one of the main reasons for the project is safety.
"One-way streets, multi-lane one-way streets, are disproportionately less safe than two-way streets," she said.
Converting roads to two-way are just one strategy that's used to achieve the city's mission of zero roadway deaths by 2050. Moving away from one-ways help reduce speed, reduce confusion among drivers who are unfamiliar with the area, and give better access to businesses and residents along the roads.
Some residents at the presentation Tues. night were concerned with the backup the two-ways would cause in neighborhoods, worried that commute times would become longer.
Another Old Louisville resident was concerned with the timeline, wanting to speed up the process and start construction before 2027.
Caummisar-Kern said the project is still in the preliminary phases.
"The first part of the project will be gathering information, doing some preliminary designs, and then we'll come back to this group and other stakeholders in the area and our sister agencies – TARC, JCPS – to gather input from them on what they want to see," she said.
In the coming months, she said there will be meetings dedicated for the public to make comments and give feedback.
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