(City of Phoenix)
PHOENIX – City planners are considering significantly changing the flow of traffic on a prominent section of Central Avenue in Phoenix.
Under the proposal, the 2½ mile carriageway between Bethany Home Road and the Arizona Canal to the north would go from two lanes in each direction to one.
This would allow adding your own center turn lane and bike lanes in each direction.
Ashley Patton of the Phoenix Roads Department told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Thursday that the addition of a two-way left-turn lane has been linked to a 47 percent reduction in collisions.
“However, there can also be increased delays for drivers, especially during rush hour,” she said.
If the plan is approved, Central will be grazed with the new configuration after the scheduled patch treatment is complete.
“When we treat a road, it becomes a blank slate,” said Patton. “So our team is using this as a low-cost way to identify potential safety improvements by modifying the stripes or the lanes painted on the road.”
The Bethany Home-Northern section will be paved this fall and the stretch between Northern and the Arizona Canal will be completed in Spring / Summer 2022.
If the proposal is not accepted, the road will be grazed in the previous manner after the paving treatment.
The city held a virtual public session on May 20 to explain the rationale for the plan and answer questions from community members.
For those who still want to contribute, the city is conducting an online survey until June 11th.
A final decision should be made in autumn.
Taylor Kinnerup of KTAR News 92.3 FM contributed to this report.
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