Augusta Street Safety Improvements

The City recognizes the need to immediately address safety along Augusta Street and has engaged Stantec, a traffic engineering consulting firm, to perform a pedestrian, bicycle, and traffic safety audit, and Urban Design Associates, a firm specializing in planning.

Augusta Street Corridor

Project Update

Beginning in March 2022, the City will implement a "road diet" along the residential section of Augusta Street, from Augusta Place to Crystal Street.

The plan includes restriping the road to convert the existing four-lane section into a three-lane roadway, with one lane in each direction and a two-way left turn lane in the center lane. 

The new lane configuration will give left-turning cars a space to wait without blocking traffic. It will also give vehicles turning left off of side roads a refuge before merging into traffic. The City expects the change to increase safety of the corridor, improve sight distance for vehicles turning off side roads and reduce speeds. 

Background

During a 3-month-long study period planners and engineers developed numerous design and policy recommendations. They were presented at a neighborhood meeting November 9, 2021. View the presentation here: Augusta Street Traffic & Pedestrian Safety Improvements Study (PDF)

Citizen-identified Solutions

I am in favor of a road diet for Augusta Road, and medians with trees to slow traffic. Three lanes from the current four lanes, with one lane in the middle would be great.

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Would like to see raised crosswalks between Blythe and Augusta Court.

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My greatest concern on Augusta is the narrowness of the lanes, particularly at the curve where this latest accident occurred.

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I believe it is time to seriously consider lane reduction... speeds are consistently over posted speed limits.

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More than 100 citizens provided written comments during a community open house held in June. The three most common traffic safety solutions suggested were:

✓  Road diet (46 comments)
✓  Roundabouts (24 comments)
✓  Roadway improvements (23 comments)

Road Diet

road-diet

Roundabouts

roundabout illustration

 Medians

median

Crosswalks

Crosswalk illustration

Phase 1 of a Road Diet Project in the residential area of Augusta Street between Faris Road and Mauldin Road will be implemented in March 2022.

Phase 2 for a full streetscape project is currently under consideration. Engineering design for a streetscape project could begin as early as Q1 2022, with construction following in Q3 of 2023 as funding allows. The project would include installation of multi-use paths, access management improvements, landscaping, utility undergrounding, repaving and traffic signal upgrades.

Study Area