Richland looks at making George Washington Way and Jadwin one-way streets
Richland wants to make the city more walking friendly, and that could mean a major change for one of the busiest streets in the Tri-Cities.
Nearly 33,000 vehicles a day drive on George Washington Way through Richland’s downtown.
While city leaders want to make sure the commute isn’t slowed, they also want to make it easier for people to leave their cars behind.
The changes could get more people to spend longer in the city’s center and, in turn, attract more businesses to set up shop.
“The city core is a focus of a really comprehensive planning effort,” Public Works Director Pete Rogalsky said last month.
City leaders will be discussing four possible options for the corridor during a public forum 5-8 p.m. on Jan. 23 in the Richland City Council chambers, 625 Swift Boulevard.
It’s part of a plan the council put in motion in 2018 after updating its strategic leadership plan.
Consultants with The Langdon Group, a division of J-U-B Engineers, and a team of community members have been helping city leaders put together a list of possible changes.
A combination of safety advocates, business representatives and city officials were part of the committee.
They plan to incorporate the community’s input from the Jan. 23 forum and an online survey into a final recommendation. The survey is available Jan. 23 to Feb. 6.
The top four options so far include:
1. One-way option
A top option is turning George Washington Way into a one-way street heading north and Jadwin Avenue as the southbound route through the center of the city.
People supported the alternative in July believing it will alleviate congestion on the cramped stretch of George Washington Way that passes through the center of the city.
Though critics worry the change wouldn’t slow down drivers enough, and they’re concerned it wouldn’t be a big enough change to affect the central corridor.
Others are concerned that street closures near the Columbia riverfront would make traffic worse and parking more difficult.
2. Traffic to Jadwin
A second option attempts to move traffic off George Washington Way to Jadwin Avenue.
That option makes George Washington Way a two-lane street, while adding a lane in each direction to Jadwin Avenue. The move would make a more walking-friendly “Main Street.”
“However, concerns were also expressed that Jadwin already has existing safety issues for pedestrians and that pushing traffic volume there would exasperate the current situation,” said The Langdon Group report.
3. Narrow George Washington Way
A third option would trim George Washington Way to three lanes — one in each direction with a turn lane in the middle.
The rest of the street would be used for bike lanes and other uses.
4. No changes
The final option would be to make no changes to the current lane configuration.
Other ideas
Along with the bigger changes, people agreed with the need to make it easier for pedestrians and bicyclists to move around on the George Washington Way.
That could include narrowing lanes, raising crosswalks and reducing speed limits, said the Langdon report.
People wanted increased options for bike lanes, and to move parking out of the bicycle lanes and increase bike parking availability downtown.
They also are looking to make sure sidewalks are clearly separated from the street, including adding green strips to buffer cars and bicyclists and sidewalks.
People also called for adding flashing yellow lights to the existing crosswalks because current crossing flags seem ineffective.
On Jan. 23, city staff and consultants will set up a series of informational stations to show all the options.
Comments also can be shared with Caroline Mellor at cmellor@langdongroupinc.com at 208-484-9592.
The report is expected to be finished in February.