A section of University Avenue that is being upgraded with raised medians to limit left-hand turns may be inconvenient but will improve safety for motorists and pedestrians, a Lafayette official said at a town hall meeting Tuesday.
Construction has begun on University Avenue from the railroad tracks to Alcide Dominique Road near Interstate 10.
The $12 million project, funded primarily with Federal Highway Administration dollars, eliminates the middle turn lane and adds a raised median and sidewalks, the current state of which is "embarrassing," Interim Public Works Director Warren Abadie said.
Where there are sidewalks along that stretch of University Avenue, in many places they are broken, narrow and overgrown with grass. In some places, there are no sidewalks at all.
During the town hall meeting, residents voiced concern that they'll have to travel farther to be able to turn left or make a U-turn when the project is finished.
No engineer today, Abadie said, would allow a busy street to be built with so many left turns as University Avenue has because it's too dangerous both to vehicular traffic and pedestrians.
Raised medians in the redesigned avenue will limit left-hand turns to a few intersections, including Madeline Street and at Windmill Lane and Rosewood Avenue, with J-turns between Riley and Delores streets.
Construction is expected to take about two years, Abadie said.
In December of 2018, following a series of meetings with University Avenue residents and business owners, officials published the final University Avenue Corridor Study report outlining ways in which the gateway street off I-10 could be improved and transformed for motorists, pedestrians and residents and to make the corridor more attractive to private investors for redevelopment.
The current project to build medians and sidewalks supports that effort to attract private investors, Mayor-President Monique Boulet said Wednesday.