LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Joseph Hanna's electronic repair shop sits just feet away from Preston Highway, one of Louisville's busiest and most dangerous corridors. He said he's witnessed countless crashes, something that leaves him worried for his elderly customers.
"People do about 80 down here," Hanna said Thursday. Just the other day, a lady knocked a pole down.
"Pulling out of Preston Highway can be a dangerous affair."
The city of Louisville is trying to change that. Almost 18 months after gathering public input on the future of the corridor, a plan was released this week that calls for major improvements along the 13-mile stretch, such as wider sidewalks, center medians, high visibility crosswalks and better lighting, among others.
The improvements to the corridor are in an effort to "decrease the number of severe and fatal crashes" on the roadway and "improve the number and availability of useful transportation options along the corridor," the city said in a news release this week.
It also calls for a transformation of certain intersections, like Preston and Broadway, Preston and Eastern Parkway, and Preston at the Outer Loop.
"It's really about taking those design factors on the road and saying, 'How do we design the road for the speed that we want instead of setting the speed for the design of the road?'" said Tony Mattingly with the city's Office of Advanced Planning.
The city's goal for those specific areas is to add green space, better connecting retail, residential and office spaces, and making those areas more walkable.
Right now, Preston is known as one of the most dangerous corridors in the city, running from downtown Louisville to the Bullitt County line with an average of 715 crashes each year, according to the city's study. Officials said there have been 13 fatalities and 33 serious injuries on Preston since 2021, citing Kentucky State Police.
A study conducted by city officials found nearly 50,000 residents live within a 10-minute walk of Preston Street, or Preston Highway, so the improvements would impact a large population.
"Just over the course of the Preston corridor plan, we have seen 13 fatal crashes on Preston and 33 serious injury crashes," Mattingly said.
Now that the initial plan has been released, the city is looking for input from the community.
"We want as many people to read the document as possible. ... so people can say, 'Yes, we think the plan is doing what we want it to do' or telling us where we can do better," Mattingly said.
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