Crash rates
East M.L. King Boulevard: 2.86 times the state averageBailey Avenue: 2.56 times the state averageFrom 2009-15 on Bailey-M.L. King, there was one pedestrian fatality, 10 pedestrian injuries, two pedestrian crashes without injury, four bike injuries and one bike crash
The Chattanooga Department of Transportation has finalized a report that recommends a road right-sizing be conducted on M.L. King Boulevard, reducing it from four lanes to three with the addition of bike lanes.
Work is expected to begin on the project this spring.
Along the 2.5-mile corridor of M.L. King Boulevard and Bailey Avenue where this proposal will be implemented, merchants and residents have praised the project for its intended effect of slowing traffic and cultivating a more pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly street.
“We’re very excited about it,” Hutton & Smith Brewing Co. owner Melanie Krautstrunk said. “Slower traffic helps people notice your businesses. It also makes it a safer environment for pedestrians, so they don’t feel like they’re going to be injured crossing the street.”