One of Bismarck’s busiest streets is going on a diet.
The reconfiguration of Bismarck’s Main Avenue began Sunday afternoon, completing much of the re-striping work.
The project, termed a “road diet,” will reduce the lanes from 4 to 3, with dedicated left and right turning lanes and added padding to the parking lanes. The goal, albeit debated, is to improve traffic flow through downtown by reducing or eliminating bottlenecks from left turns and parallel parking, particularly between 5th and 3rd Streets.
The City Commission approved the reconfiguration last summer, but delayed construction until post-winter . The narrowed roadway will be tested for three months, according to a recent press release, before determining whether to make the change permanent. Originally, the plan was to evaluate the road for one year.
A public information meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 29 at 5:30pm in Meeting Room A at the Public Library.
