Forest Park undergoes ‘road diet’

 

After several delays, Forest Park Boulevard has undergone its “road diet.”

Forest Park Boulevard between Rosedale Street and Park Hill Drive is now a three-lane thoroughfare.

Also planned are signalization and intersection improvements for where Forest Park intersects with Rosedale, Mistletoe Boulevard, Park Place Avenue and Park Hill. The term “road diet” denotes a reduction in lanes.

- FWBP Digital Partners -

The project was delayed several times as the city grappled with contractor issues. The latest snag occurred after the contractor originally set to handle the work went bankrupt, forcing the city to find another firm.

Although cost estimates total $70,000 – exceeding the $50,000 minimum at which capital expenditures require City Council approval – the project requires no council approval because its expenses were authorized in the current city budget.

Some residents living in nearby Mistletoe Heights and Berkeley Place neighborhoods had voiced concern that speeding motorists created safety hazards. Traffic studies confirmed 41 crashes along the stretch between 2009 and 2011. – Staff reports