2-Way Traffic Starts on Four of Aurora’s Main Streets
Anyone who’s ever traveled in the city of Aurora will tell you a story about how they had to deal with one-way streets. It’s part of the charm and history of the state’s second-largest city, but it’s also one of the challenges to efficient transportation that officials have to deal with each day.
For much of 2015, work has been under way to change that one-way traffic flow on four of Aurora’s main arteries, and officials are heralding the benefits drivers will see in the next eight days.
With fanfare and trumpets, the city sent a press release today, announcing that New York Street and Galena Boulevard officially will open for two-way traffic tomorrow (Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015), and River Street and Lake Street will open one week later, on Tuesday, Dec. 29.
New York Street and Galena Boulevard
By 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 22, New York Street and Galena Boulevard will begin two-way operation. New York will transition to two-way traffic between Broadway and Smith Boulevard, where a new traffic light has been added for the conversion. Galena will convert to two-way between Ohio Street and Broadway.
The existing one-way portions of New York Street and Galena Boulevard west of Broadway will remain in one-way operation.
Roughly 14,500 vehicles travel the stretch of New York Street each day, and an additional 9,000 vehicles travel Galena Boulevard each day.
River Street and Lake Street
The following week, by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 29, both River Street and Lake Street will open for two-way traffic between Gale Street and New York Street.
About 15,000 vehicles currently use this segment of Lake Street each day, and another 13,000 use River Street. The change to two-way operation on River Street and Lake Street is expected to move about 5,000 vehicles a day from River Street onto Lake Street.
The Positive Impact of Conversion
Much like the successful conversion of Downer Place and Benton Street to two-way traffic at the end of 2012, these conversions are expected to improve overall traffic flow while aiding business growth and development in the respective areas, the city of Aurora says.
The conversion of the New York Street and Galena Boulevard corridor is expected to calm high volumes of traffic flowing through neighborhoods with high density. It will also simplify access routes to downtown Aurora for those who visit downtown businesses and venues, including more than 400,000 people who annually attend events at the Paramount Theatre and RiverEdge Park.
The reduction of vehicles on River Street, paired with the addition of a dedicated bike path connecting a gap in the Fox River Trail, will make River Street a safer route for pedestrians and bicyclists frequenting Waubonsee Community College, the Santori Public Library of Aurora and other downtown locations.
“The successful conversion of Benton and Downer has had a positive impact on Aurora’s downtown and navigating through our growing city,” said Aurora Public Works Director Ken Schroth. “We look forward to these conversions doing the same.”
SOURCE: City of Aurora news release
About the City of Aurora
Located 35 miles west of Chicago, Aurora is the second largest city in Illinois with a population of 200,456. Aurora is known as the “City of Lights” because it was one of the first in the nation to illuminate its streets with electric lights. Situated along the Fox River and the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway (Interstate 88), the city extends 46 square miles encompassing Kane, DuPage, Kendall and Will counties. Aurora also is home to six public school districts and seven townships. For the latest news, access to an archive of past news releases or to follow the city on Facebook or Twitter, visit the city’s website at www.aurora-il.org.
