The Kelly Administration, City Council Vice Chair Jenny Hill, and the Northshore Merchants Collective announced Monday that a new, temporary traffic calming demonstration project on Frazier Avenue will be in effect for the remaining weekends in December, beginning on Saturday.
Roadway demonstration projects are low-cost, short-term, temporary projects used to pilot long-term design solutions to improve the safety of roads for all users, officials said.
The Kelly Administration is also instituting a new, permanent 25 mph speed limit on Frazier Avenue.
The city will place speed monitoring radar poles to deter speeding in the area and will increase police enforcement in the neighborhood.
The moves come after a speeding vehicle collided with another car, then spun up on the sidewalk at Frazier and Forest where a visiting family of three were standing. The wife and 22-month-old son were killed and the father was left in a coma.
Beginning Saturday, Chattanooga Public Works will set up traffic barrels to establish a weekend traffic pattern for Saturdays and Sundays throughout the balance of December. The traffic barrels will be removed for weekdays. The temporary traffic pattern will give city engineers the ability to collect data to inform a permanent reconfiguration of Frazier Avenue, in line with previous reconfigurations on Central, Bailey and McCallie avenues, it was stated.
“Local government should be responsive to the concerns of its residents and effective in its response to the challenges in our community,” said Mayor Tim Kelly. “This tactical intervention, accompanied by enforcement, will allow us to improve conditions on Frazier Ave on the remaining holiday weekends when pedestrian and cyclist traffic is at its peak and to analyze the effectiveness of an alternate design without impacting workday traffic patterns. This collaboration between my team, Vice Chair Hill, and the Northshore Merchants will help us quickly get to the best possible long-term solution.”
“Residents have spoken loud and clear about their concerns. This immediate action will slow cars down and make Frazier safer,” said Vice Chairwoman Hill. “Moving forward, we will focus on learning what solutions best meet all stakeholder needs so we can develop and implement a permanent solution. As a resident of and representative for the Northshore community, I’m committed to ensuring a safe and vibrant Frazier for residents, business owners, and visitors to this unique Chattanooga neighborhood.”
“We're in agreement with the plan put forward by Mayor Kelly’s team and Vice Chairwoman Hill, and we want to be a part of the process of making our neighborhood a safer place for everyone,” said Northshore Merchants Collective President Catharine Daniels. “This neighborhood is one that everyone loves. We love it as residents and merchants, and we want folks to continue to come here and enjoy it. We appreciate the council and the mayor for the action they are taking and for including us in the conversation.”
The images shown are draft representations of what the temporary weekend pattern will look like. Areas delineated in black below will be configured by traffic barrels.