Fortification Street Update

From today's Clarion Ledger:

Council members also approved a redesign of Fortification Street, one of the main thoroughfares in the downtown area. It could cost between $5 million and $8 million.

The council initiated the first step in the project, approving a $1.5 million contract with CiViLTech Inc. for engineering work. CiViLTech President Elmore Moody said his company will draft a plan for the street from I-55 to the bridge at Mill Street.

"It's four lanes now, and we're looking at changing it to three lanes (from the interstate to Jefferson Street). There is a tremendous amount of traffic and quite a bit of speeding. The neighborhood associations want to look at calming traffic," said Moody, a former head of the city's Public Works Department.

"We've done traffic studies, and three lanes will carry the necessary amount of traffic efficiently but not as fast."

The redesign also will include the addition of sidewalks and new water and sewer lines under the street. So far, CiViLTech has begun environmental studies required by the state and federal governments and preliminary designs. In November or December, public hearings will allow residents to give feedback on those designs, Moody said.

Greater Belhaven Neighborhood Foundation Executive Director Virgi Lindsay said the council's decision was a victory for the neighborhoods touched by Fortification. A Fortification Street Coalition formed in August 2001, pulling together representatives from Farish Street, Belhaven Heights, Belhaven, north Midtown and Baptist Hospital.

"We didn't want it to be a street that just got resurfaced. We wanted it to be redefined and thought of as a street that connects urban neighborhoods," Lindsay said. "Right now, it is in horrible condition. The street has been patched and patched and patched over the years."