Article by Madeline Pyle
At Monday night’s Southside City Council meeting, Mayor Ray Bowman presented certified drawings of Triangle Lane as part of the city’s next step toward changing traffic flow on Triangle Lane.
Specifically, the city wants to prevent traffic on Triangle Lane from turning left onto Batesville Boulevard toward Ramsey Mountain by sealing off part of the lane (see picture). According to Bowman and councilmember Vince Gay, cars turning left onto Batesville Boulevard from Triangle Lane risk colliding with oncoming traffic.
“[Sealing off the lane] needs to be done to keep people from getting hit on top of that hill,” another member said.
Gay surveyed traffic flow for two hours on a weekday and counted 60 cars taking a left, and six of the cars were almost hit by cars going up and down Ramsey Mountain. By sealing off the left turn, cars will have to turn left at the intersection of Batesville Boulevard and Highway 14.
“Some people won’t like it, but that’s part of the job,” said Bowman.
The city will have to get approval from the Arkansas Highway Department to move forward, and acquiring certified drawings by an engineer is also a step toward approval.
“It’s going to be a long process,” said Bowman.
In other news, the council discussed applying for a state aid grant to improve 2.5 miles of streets in Southside, including Community, Amanda, Dogwood, Ponderosa, Shangri-La, Barrett, and Kimberly. Mayor Bowman said he would start the application process.
The council agreed to continue meeting in-person with masks and social distancing as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
All members were present except Vera Byrd and Jerry Byrd.
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