Following a crash in November that killed two pedestrians and injured another, the city of Chattanooga has brought in city planner and viral TED Talk speaker Jeff Speck to help redesign the roadway.
In April, the city announced the four-lane thoroughfare — with two lanes in either direction — would be reduced to one lane each way with a turning lane in the middle. The design would also include a dedicated lane for pedestrians, cyclists and wheelchair users.
The city initially announced lanes would be restriped later in the spring, but midway through June, Frazier remains unchanged.
Dan Reuter, executive director of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency, said in a phone interview that Speck and his firm, Speck Dempsey, were brought in to fine tune the design.
“From the beginning, we were just trying to upgrade the whole experience on Frazier,” Reuter said. “What we’re trying to do is make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists but also try to attract more people there to patronize the businesses.”