The Greensboro Department of Transportation (GDOT) marked the completion of some major projects in its 2022-2023 annual report released this week.
The final segment of the Urban Loop, which was first planned in the 1960s, opened in January. Drivers can now travel 49 miles all the way around Greensboro on an interstate highway. GDOT has already noted the shift in travel patterns caused by the completed loop and, according to the report, is continuing to monitor the impact of the Urban Loop on future transportation projects.
The completion of widening Horse Pen Creek Road from New Garden Road to Battleground Avenue was completed in April. While it didn’t take nearly as long as completing the Urban Loop, the fact that this project was funded with 2008 bond money is a good indication of how long people have been dodging orange barrels waiting for the completion of this project.
The report also notes that during the last fiscal year the city added:
• 1 crosswalk flashing beacon
• 2 traffic signals
• 3.7 miles of bike lanes and sharrows (shared bike lanes)
• 8.8 miles of sidewalks
• 408 LED light upgrades
GDOT also completed 60 speed studies and 4,557 work orders.
The report notes that Access GSO, the paratransit service, provided 171,583 rides and the Greensboro Transit Agency provided over 2 million bus rides. It’s the last time those figures will be in the GDOT annual report because in August the city created a new Greensboro Transit Department to manage public transportation.
Looking to the future, in March GDOT along with the North Carolina Department of Transportation asked for public input on the plan to re-configure the Battleground Avenue-Lawndale Drive-Westover Terrace corridor. More than 350 people responded to this request for input on how to improve this confusing mishmash of streets.
In September 2022, GDOT began a comprehensive assessment of parking in downtown Greensboro and the final report on that study is due this fall. The request for input on improving parking downtown had 950 people respond.
How much of federal money was involved in the project(s)? You know your state and federal taxes are used for these projects, while the city likes to take credit.
And a partridge in a pear tree.
The city streets are still in the worst shape since I moved here in 1966!
Repairing the City streets would be a great accomplishments ! Take a look at Westridge it’s a
mess!