LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Some big changes are coming to one of downtown Louisville's busiest streets in an effort to increase safety and make it easier navigate.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is leading the Main Remade project, which runs down Main Street from Wenzel Street in the east to 22nd Street in the city's west end. 

"Louisville is an old city, we could definitely use some updates," said James Wardley.

Wardley is the assistant general manager at Doc Crow's on Main Street. It's been around for 14 years and has seen a lot of changes downtown, with more on the way.

"We're largely just tourism, but even hoping to bring more locals down here," Wardley said.

The project to revitalize Main Street includes converting portions of the current one-way street into a two-way street, upgrading crosswalks and intersection corners, creating bike facilities, adding dedicated left-turn lanes and upgrading traffic signals.

"You don't have to stop and think hard about which roads are going one-way, north or south or east or west, that you are able to get around much more easily," Rebecca Fleischaker, with Louisville Downtown Partnership, said. 

The stretch of Main Street also includes one of the busiest intersections downtown at 2nd Street. Those who work along and near the intersection said at least once a day they see someone turning and going the wrong way.

"We've heard frustration about people that want to go somewhere and they're going the wrong way," said Fleischaker. "They've got to circle around and they are like 'Forget it, I don't even want to go,' which is not what you want that experience to be for somebody."

The corner of Preston and Main streets will eventually include an eastbound lane, bike lanes, turn lanes and more defined crosswalks — all to increase safety.

"They are not as updated as a lot of places that I have seen, especially now NuLu is kind of getting the hint so it is definitely something we could definitely use down here," said Wardley.

Louisville's Main Street is technically a state road and under the jurisdiction of KYTC. Their plan is to add protected bike lanes, dedicated turn lanes, and have traffic moving in both directions on a fresh coat of asphalt.

Louisville Downtown Partnership said they hope the project will also increase walkability, and two-way roads increase visibility.

"You do slow down car traffic, which is great for pedestrians, it's great for business owners who have retail shops on either side of the road," Fleischaker said.

During the last six years, KYTC reports close to 470 crashes on Main Street, and in almost 20 percent of those crashes, someone was injured.

The project is split into three phases: West, East and Central

  • West runs from 10th to 22nd Street
  • East runs Wenzel to 2nd Street
  • Central runs from 2nd to 10th Street.

Construction for the west phase is expected to start sometime this summer or fall. The east phase will be start in the spring of next year. A timeline for the central phase has yet to be announced.

"Obviously the transition of the project moving forward could ... probably not going to be fun for anyone involved, but it sounds like it will be all for the better, honestly," Wardley said.

Main Street is expected to remain open during each phase of construction.

To look at the plans and for more information about the project, click here.

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