LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A federal grant will aid the planned conversion of two one-way streets in Old Louisville, a top priority in the city's effort to reduce traffic deaths.
The project involves turning sections of 2nd and 3rd streets into two-way corridors between Broadway and Cardinal Boulevard near the University of Louisville. Under the current plan, 3rd Street would prioritize vehicle traffic and have turn lanes at intersections, while 2nd Street would convert intersections to all-way stops.
Other work would include pedestrian signals and cycling lanes and more visible crosswalks.
"Really, the No. 1 thing is it's going to slow the traffic down," said Cyndi Smith, president of the Second Street Neighborhood Association, which sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation advocating for the grant.
Smith recalled seeing a crash in front of her house on the morning she moved in in 2021, when three cars were hit. "There is a really big end goal here that is benefitting everyone," she said.
The organization Streets for People, which supports policies for safe and accessible roads, also welcomed the grant funding as a step toward making that part of Old Louisville safer.
“It’ll save lives, really, to do this conversion,” said Jackie Cobb, one of the group's advocates. “Because the current way those streets are designed — multi-lane, one-way streets — is unsafe.”
Cobb said it’s also important to note other design aspects of the project, such as adding four-way stops that now have traffic signals and protected bike lanes. Those improvements, she said, will improve the overall safety of the streets.
Metro government's grant application earlier this year estimated the cost of the entire project at $12.5 million. The $7.5 million federal award is an "incredible federal investment in one of Louisville's busiest corridors for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians," Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a press release.
The remaining amount is expected to come from state and federal sources, according to Greenberg's office.
"We both felt really strong about the need to improve safety on this corridor," said Amanda Deatherage, transportation planner supervisor in the city's public works department.
Deatherage called one-way streets a "systemic risk factor."
The grant announced Monday comes from the sweeping infrastructure law that Congress approved in 2021. Greenberg, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey were among those who urged the U.S. Department of Transportation to consider Louisville's application.
Other supporters included the Old Louisville Neighborhood Council and the University of Louisville.
Converting one-way streets to handle traffic in both directions is a key strategy in the city's Vision Zero plan that aims to eliminate traffic deaths on city streets by 2050.
A recent WDRB News investigation found that other plans to convert streets to two-way roads have stalled in recent years.
The work on 2nd and 3rd streets would begin in spring 2024 and be complete by 2027, according to estimates produced this year.
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