City of Madison traffic engineers met Thursday at a local neighborhood meeting to outline plans that could convert East Johnson and East Gorham Streets into two-way streets.
Madison traffic engineers presented a plan to study the street conversion's effect to Capital Neighborhoods, an association that represents several neighborhoods including the Bassett and West Mifflin neighborhoods.
The plan includes an impact study, which will focus on how the proposal affects motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, street parking and safety.
Many residents of the affected neighborhoods expressed support for the study and for the conversion of the one-way streets.
""A lot of the people who live in that area believe it will slow down traffic and calm down the neighborhood,"" Capital Neighborhoods President David Levy said. ""[The plan] offers something more conducive towards residents in the area.""
According to Madison traffic engineers Chris Petykowski and Brian Smith, the plan will include two phases, which, if approved, will lead to the construction of the project in March 2014.
Petykowski and Smith said phase one, which is set to begin October 3 and run until December, will focus on how a two-way conversion will affect volume and congestion on Johnson and Gorham Streets.
Phase two, which is scheduled to begin in January and extend to March 2012, will focus on a how a conversion will affect different intersections in the surrounding areas.
The proposed project will receive half of its funding from the federal government.
