If you find yourself down on Main Street like Bob Seger in a few years, things might not still (be) the same.
Last week, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet unveiled the details of Main Remade, a project that will significantly change traffic patterns along Main Street in downtown Louisville.
It’s set to be completed in three phases, with the first to begin later this year. Here’s a look at what the first phase will do:
- Convert Main from one-way to two-way traffic from 2nd Street to Wenzel Street in NuLu — that’s 10 blocks
- Install a protected bike lane — aka cycle track — along Main, giving a safe place for bikes and scooters to operate. The lane will run westbound along that same 10-block stretch.
- Upgrade the crosswalks of Main by adding striping, marking, and lighting, improving the visibility of pedestrians
- Add dedicated left-hand turning lanes at intersections.
- Upgrade traffic lights
The project’s two other phases will make the same improvements to two other sections of Main, but construction dates are TBD. The second phase will convert West Main — from 10th to 22nd Streets — while the third phase will convert Main from 2nd to 10th Streets.
Construction will not interrupt traffic, according to officials, with Main remaining open throughout the project.
The aim is to improve safety. From 2018 to 2023, there were over 460 crashes along Main, with 89 resulting in injury. The changes will discourage high vehicle speeds, reducing the severity of crashes when they do occur.
Officials are accepting public comments through Tuesday, April 16.
Bonus: This kind of project is happening on several major roadways in Louisville, including 9th street + 2nd and 3rd Streets in Old Louisville.