$1 million project will transform West Kentucky Street corridor
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - A $1 million project is aiming to improve accessibility in the West Kentucky Street corridor, with several upgrades aimed at improving the flow of traffic and bringing more foot traffic to the area.
Construction on the project began Wednesday, March 26. It will convert West Kentucky Street into a two-way street from 8th to 5th Street.
It will also add a bike lane from 7th through 5th Streets, improve pedestrian crossings at 7th and 5th Streets, and convert the intersections at 5th and 6th Streets into four-way stops, among other upgrades.
For organizations like the non-profit I Would Rather Be Reading, which provides after school and summer programs for students in Kindergarten through fifth grade, the project will go a long way to make their location more accessible.
“Here on 6th Street we’re far enough away from Broadway that we don’t have a lot of foot traffic,” said CEO Allison Ogle. “We are a one-way street, so it limits how people get to us. They have to turn all the way around if they miss us, so the expansion project is really going to increase the value of the neighborhood and allow people to get to us more easily.”
The non-profit is planning to open a new storefront in collaboration with small businesses, which will help serve as a sustainable revenue source for the organization. Ogle said the extra foot traffic will be just what their organization needs to get more people in the door.
“SoBro is a burgeoning neighborhood,” Ogle said. “We’ve got really cool stuff here, but the accessibility is kind of, I think, what is stopping us from really being the best neighborhood that we can be, so the expansion is going to really add on to that.”
Workers at the historic Ollie’s Trolley, located just off West Kentucky Street, feel the same way.
“It helps everybody to be able to maneuver a lot easier because sometimes the one-way streets confuse people, especially if they’re not from here,” said cook Christy Torres. “We get quite a bit of business, but I think it would actually do us a great deal to actually have that two-way street.”
Leaders at Simmons College and Spalding University said the improvements will help connect their campuses to the rest of the city.
“Simmons College of Kentucky, one of the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities, welcomes hundreds of families and prospective students from across the nation who are considering enrolling at Louisville’s HBCU,” Dr. Frank Smith, senior vice president and chief operating officer at Simmons College, said in a news release. “These and more infrastructure improvements will greatly help Simmons to attract, enroll, and retain Louisville’s future workforce.”
“The West Kentucky Street corridor project is a welcome investment that supports Spalding University’s commitment to healthy living. This improved corridor will better connect our main campus with Legacy Fields, enhancing the experience for our Golden Eagle student-athletes and fans,” said Dr. Anne Kenworthy, president of Spalding University. “The pedestrian-friendly design, bike lanes, and expanded tree canopy align with our university’s values of sustainability and community wellbeing. We’re excited to see this transformation unfold for the benefit of our campus and the broader neighborhood.”
Other improvements that are part of the project include:
- Expanding the tree canopy along West Kentucky Street between 7th and 5th
- Improving the TARC stop on 7th
- Adding/improving sidewalks and curbs
During construction, parts of West Kentucky Street will be closed to traffic and detour routes will be posted. Work on this phase of the project is expected to be finished by August 1.
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