HOW TO NAVIGATE A ROUNDABOUT
' When approaching a roundabout, slow down and be prepared to yield. Beware of pedestrians in the crosswalk. Look to the left and check for approaching traffic in the circulating roadway which has the right of way. ' Pull up to the yield line and wait for a gap in the circulating traffic or enter if there is an adequate gap in traffic. ' Once you have entered the roundabout, proceed counterclockwise to your exit point. You now have the right of way. As you approach your exit, turn on your right turn signal. Exit the roundabout. Source: City of Chattanooga
A proposed roundabout would replace the confusing interchange between 3rd and 4th Streets and Riverfront Parkway on the edge of UTC's campus in downtown Chattanooga. Chattanooga may soon reboot a 15-year-old, $15 million plan to break up gridlock at one of downtown's busiest traffic corridors.
The enormous traffic reconfiguration calls for scrapping parts of the current layout for East Third and East Fourth streets and building a roundabout to connect the parallel roadways with Riverfront Parkway.
Now, drivers leaving downtown can only access Riverfront Parkway by going east on East Fourth Street and taking a left on Lansing, or by traveling west on East Third, which twists under itself to access the parkway.
The City Council on Tuesday will consider a resolution to pay $447,000 to Parson Brinckerhoff to draw engineering plans. The remaining $1.8 million in engineering costs will be paid with federal funds.
The plan includes improvements across miles of roadway in the area, more traffic routes for Erlanger Health System and more intersections on Riverfront Parkway between Georgia Avenue and the planned - although controversial - extension of Central Avenue.
The massive project has been on the area's Transportation Improvement Plan since 2000. City Transportation Director Blythe Bailey said Wednesday he didn't know why it has been delayed, but said it will do wonders for safety and traffic snarls between the city's heart and Amnicola Highway.
An average of 14,625 drivers traverses that stretch of East Third Street daily, and 18,035 motorists drive East Fourth Street, according to Tennessee Department of Transportation figures. Riverfront Parkway carries an average 18,347 daily drivers. The city's central thoroughfare, Market Street north of M.L. King Boulevard, carries 14,647 drivers a day.
Bailey says Market Street traffic is lighter, simply because drivers have more options.
"One of the things that we are pushing for is to create a larger number of alternatives to move around," Bailey said. "There will be a way to get into the city grid sooner on Riverfront Parkway."
Bailey said the ultimate goal is to clarify how to move through the city. Instead of backing up on the highway, motorists will enter the city grid system and be on their direct routes sooner. Those who are just passing through will be able to avoid backups, he said.
"So if you are coming down Amnicola in a big truck or something, you will be able to access Fourth Street directly and get straight to the interstate," he said.
When it's all said and done, the project is expected to cost $15 million, but only $3 million will come directly from Chattanooga coffers.
Melissa Taylor, director of strategic long-range planning for the local Transportation Planning Organization, said since the project is on the regional plan, federal dollars will pay 80 percent of the cost. That also means it's unlikely to see delays due to money.
"Federally, this is paid with Surface Transportation Program funding. That's the biggest pot of funding in federal transportation," Taylor said.
TDOT will be a pass-through for the money and ensure the city is following all federal rules for the project, Taylor said.
Currently, she said, the project is funded through fiscal year 2016, which she said should give the city time to gather all necessary rights-of-way. The planning organization will create a new multi-year transportation plan next year.
Contact staff writer Louie Brogdon at lbrogdon@timesfreepress.com, @glbrogdoniv on Twitter or at 423-757-6481.
Roundabout plan