A project that will narrow traffic lanes in each direction from two to one on a one-mile stretch of ML King Boulevard will begin March 5, city officials said. The section is between Georgia and Central Avenues.
The project, which will cost approximately $800,000-$900,000, will occur in four discrete phases and is expected to take 45 days to complete.
The repaving will include a redesign of the street itself, which will shrink the number of vehicle lanes and include a center turn lane and dedicated bike lanes on either side.
City officials said, "The redesign of the street will have the effect of greatly calming traffic and vehicle speeds along the historic corridor, which connects Chattanooga’s downtown Innovation District to the University of Tennessee Chattanooga campus and densely populated residential neighborhoods of ML King and Highland Park. The slower traffic and improved bicycle/pedestrian access will make the boulevard and areas in its immediate vicinity noticeably safer."
The redesign will also result in the creation of approximately 40 new on-street parking spaces between University and Peeples Avenues.
“At rush hour in the morning and afternoon, the redesign may have the effect of extending a car trip by about five minutes from one end of the ML King and Bailey Avenue corridor to the other,” says Blythe Bailey, Administrator for Chattanooga’s Department of Transportation (CDOT), which is coordinating the paving and safety project. “There should be little travel time difference during vast majority of the day. The result will be a safer, more welcoming, and more vibrant thoroughfare that connects more students and families more easily to downtown -- instead of a highway in a neighborhood, we’ll have a place that where people are safer and feel more comfortable.”
He said studies by the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) and others prove that any reduction in vehicle speeds produce immense safety benefits to residents. A person struck by a car at 40 miles per hour has an 85% chance of suffering a fatality; the likelihood of a death is reduced to 5% if the car’s speed is 20 miles per hour. The chances of a fatality resulting from a collision are even higher among children, he said.
“Residents, businesses, and institutions along ML King have been asking us to make these enhancements to the street, and we are eager to get moving,” said Mayor Andy Berke. “While any repaving project is going to create some temporary inconvenience, we know that we will enjoy a new corridor that is safer, healthier, and more accessible for everyone.”
For additional information, including maps, alternate route recommendations, and schedule updates on the project’s progress, please visit Connect.Chattanooga.gov/mlkblvd or call CDOT at 423-643-5950.
Mitigation assistance grants for businesses affected by the repaving schedule may be available. Interested parties are encouraged to contact Vanessa Jackson at the City of Chattanooga at 423-643-6706 for more information.