TYLER, Texas — The City of Tyler approved a multi-thousand dollar contract on Wednesday to address traffic concerns in the downtown area.
The engineering contract with Kimley-Horn to develop a traffic study and use recommendations from Toole Design to review certain criteria that works well with the changing traffic patterns.
"Looking at the signalized sections: are four-way stops going to be better?," Michael Howell, city of Tyler metropolitan planning director, said.
Howell also wants to review one-way and two-way streets.
"We kind of want to take a fresh look to see if there's a way we can improve getting around the downtown area," Howell said.
One local business owner said these changes are a step in the right direction.
"Oh we are progressing! That's awesome," said Addi Vale, assistant manager at The SportsZone Bar & Grill.
Vale said, at the bar, it's not necessarily the traffic that's a concern but parking.
Vale said customers always tell her, 'Oh, I had to walk all the way from the other side of the courthouse to get here.'
Vale said the workers appreciate the customers who come in and support their business. Vale enjoys the diverse crowd that comes in for a good time.
"We get a wide variety of people, not just a specific group and the ladies feel very safe and comfortable here," Vale said. "I absolutely love that I can brag about that in the place that I work at."
Downtown has seen a lot of growth over recent years, which is why Howell said the traffic study is necessary for the future of Tyler.
"We really want to look at additional transportation options, having them be able to park in appropriate facilities. Is there going to be good pedestrian infrastructure there?" Howell said.
Howell said he wants to help the city create a multi-model solution that supports the local businesses, schools, churches and residential communities in the area.
Also included in the plan is determining the need, locations and/or pricing for electric vehicle charging.
"This is a new technology that is coming out and there are revenue sources that are being proposed with the new transportation bill, but before they offer any funding for cities they want to see it in a plan first that's already been vetted," Howell said.
Howell said they hope to see the consultants execute the traffic study early next month. It's anticipated to take nine months and be completed by spring 2023.
He said the study shouldn't bring long-term problems for drivers during this time because the consultants will only be doing temporary changes to test new ideas.