LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A busy street connecting NuLu to downtown Louisville now has traffic going both ways.

East Jefferson Street now goes both ways from Brook Street to Baxter Avenue in NuLu. It's a change that will take some getting used to for residents and business owners.

Bert le Roux is the general manager of the new Tempo by Hilton on East Jefferson Street. He moved to Louisville nine months ago, and has been used to Jefferson Street in front of the hotel being only westbound.

"But now it is a two-way street, " le Roux said. "We are now going to have to (be) retrained so that we're watching traffic closely to make sure there are no incidents."

The change is due to safety concerns with cars going the wrong way. The roadway was converted and opened on Sunday night. It is expected to increase traffic flow as well.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg previously said the change will make East Jefferson Street safer for both drivers and pedestrians.

"Making our roads safer for drivers, for pedestrians, for cyclists, for anyone in and around while improving the quality of our neighborhoods and there are so many benefits that come with two-way streets," Greenberg said last week. 

le Roux said it will benefit business along the street.

"We've had challenges with people finding us and then if you missed this street just once you have to go around a couple of blocks to get back to where we are so this is amazing for our hotel to not have a two-way street here," he said.

With the new street configuration, parking can be a more difficult. 

Delivery driver Charles Cruse hasn't delivered to the area for a while and was surprised by the change.

"When you are used to it being one-way, you have obviously four lanes and now you have two with a median, so you have to deal with traffic and it is just rough on everybody," Cruse said.

Cruse said while it maybe easier for smaller vehicles to pull up to a spot, it's tougher for larger trucks so he has to park in the median and walk around.

"It is just less room," Cruse said. "Less room with an oversized vehicle is just hard to maneuver."

Several more one-way roads are set to become two-way. The next project being considered is Oak Street between 16th and Dixie Highway.

Several other two-way conversion projects are planned for downtown, and the changes will take some getting used to.

"The more thoroughfares that we have the more direction people can travel in, the easier it is going to be for everybody to win," le Roux said.

Related Stories:

Copyright 2024 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.