Project engineers behind the possible modifications to Murray's busy 16th street have posted graphics of the alternate options online.
You can view them in the slideshow above.
Project managers are also still seeking public comments on the project with a survey that be accessed here.
View artist renderings of the proposed options from a 2013 MSU presentation
ORIGINAL POST:
Murray citizens may have mixed views on what to do with the busy 16th Street, but most can agree that improving safety and minimizing cost are among the chief concerns. City officials held a show-and-tell-style public meeting at the Robert Miller Conference Center Tuesday night to discuss options on the table for modifying one of Murray’s busier streets.
The north-south street cuts through the west side of Murray State University campus and sees some 7,000 cars and 12,000 pedestrian per day, with many of them students. About 75-80 traffic incidents are also reported each year, prompting the city and university to discuss potential alterations to traffic flow.
BFW Engineer and 16th street Project Manager Tim Choate says it's one of the more frequent comments he’s heard from residents.
“Everyone I’ve talked to knows that there is a legitimate concern there," said Choate. "You know, with the expansion of campus on the west side of 16th street, obviously there’s a number of pedestrians crossing there, so it is a safety issue.”
MSU student Teddy Martin says most students know just how busy, and sometimes dangerous, that street can get.
“The traffic between there is always really heavy and it’s always super sketchy going in-between," said Martin. "And as much as I would like getting my tuition paid for by getting hit by a car, I would rather not come into harm’s way. Anyway that would help the campus as a whole, I’m all for that.”
Options include building an alternate route circling to the west of campus or building an over-under pedestrian bridge. Early estimates put construction projects in the 8 to 9 million dollar range which the city of Murray will pay.
Murray-Calloway Economic Development Corp Executive Director Mark Manning says a change should be made, but more cost-efficient options should also be explored.
“I would personally like to see some potential low-cost alternates, like cutting the number of crossings, and perhaps controlling pedestrian traffic more efficiently," said Manning. "I think that might make some sense before we go off spending tens of millions of dollars that could potentially be spent on other projects.”
Construction would also impact residents outside of the immediate vicinity of 16th street, with traffic increasing elsewhere in the city being a concern.
“We’re all going to be directly impacted somehow because it’s going to change our habits no matter what we do there,” said Murray City Councilman Butch Sergeant. “But I’m in favor of doing whatever it takes for Murray State to grow. There’s a couple of them that would do away with the the Five-Points intersection, which I like a lot, then we wouldn’t have to do the roundabout we’ve been talking about and it would improve that intersection.”
A city-developed feasibility study is expected in November.
