More than four months have passed since Downtown Evansville’s traffic changes went into effect, including new traffic patterns and traffic signals. Although at least one minor accident and a lot of wrong turns resulted that September morning, most Downtown drivers have caught on.
In an August press release, Evansville former Mayor Johnathan Weinzapfel urged motorists to take caution as fellow drivers adapted to the new traffic patterns, but ultimately he saw the benefits. “This project will significantly enhance traffic flow into, out of, and within Downtown Evansville,” he said.
The changes came as a result of the now-inactive Downtown Implementation Committee, which began collecting recommendations in 2005 from local residents on how to create a more efficient traffic flow Downtown. Seven years later, those improvements came just in time for the opening of the Ford Center, which city officials say will be more accessible with the new flow. For those who only make it to the riverfront area on occasion, here’s a map and list of all the street changes that occurred.
• Sycamore Street. Now a two-way between the streets of Second and Main.
• Vine Street. Now a two-way between Second Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.
• Third and Fifth streets. Now both two-ways between Sycamore and Court streets.
• Main Street. Traffic flow now reversed between Second Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
• Riverside Drive. Medians now open at both Main and Walnut streets allowing left turns.
