Anyone who has ever glanced at the Drag knows that trying to get anywhere along it — no matter the time — is likely to be the most stressful part of their day. Cramped lanes, poor road conditions, few crosswalks and bike lanes that only go a few blocks make navigating the street almost as hard as trying to put together a class schedule.
To solve this headache, the city released recommendations this morning for the Guadalupe Street corridor to improve accessibility and reduce traffic in the area.
Called the Corridor Mobility Plan, the report also recommends several changes to streets near Guadalupe Street in West Campus.
Here’s a list of the major recommendations:
1. Reduction in the number of car lanes from two in each direction to one from MLK Boulevard to 29th Street
2. Adding lanes dedicated to buses in each direction and removing all on-street parking for that stretch
3. Conversion of Nueces into a two-way street
4. Creation of a two-way bike path along 24th Street
5. 24th Street would also be reduced to one lane going each direction and a center-left turn lane would be added.
The recommendations come as part of a preliminary report for the Guadalupe Street Corridor Improvement Program and will be considered for funding from the voter-approved 2016 Mobility Bond. The bond includes $485 million for “corridor improvement,” which are primary roadways that affect the city’s overall transportation network.
In the spring, officials will provide the City Council with a Corridor Construction Program which must then be approved before any funding can be appropriated. According to a press release included with the report, the program proposed to the Council will also go into more detailed design work to improve community engagement in the area.
The report also says Capital Metro expects the changes will save up to three minutes per trip and possibly attract hundreds of thousands of new riders.
As the program still needs approval from the city, there is no date set for when construction will begin.