Northeast Second Street going one way

Plan to reduce congestion and promote safety OK’d unanimously by council.

Northeast Second Street in Smithville will become a one-way street beginning June 5.

The Smithville City Council unanimously voted to turn Northeast Second Street between Olive and Main streets into a one-way access road to help alleviate traffic congestion and promote safety.

“It’s in the best interests of motorists and pedestrians,” City Manager Robert Tamble said before the vote.

With Honey’s, Amy’s Ice Cream and Midnight Monkey Mercantile drawing large numbers of pedestrians and significant auto traffic, the narrow width of Second Street is unable to manage parking and two-way traffic, Tamble wrote in a recent report.

“Extended cab trucks and large SUV’s exacerbate the problem as they obstruct visibility,” he added.

Tamble first spoke to downtown businesses owners about the proposed change and they agreed, he said.

Traffic will flow east on Second Street from Main Street. Parking will be angled at 45 degrees on both sides of the street, allowing for 12 feet of roadway. That plan allows the street to maintain the 48 parking spaces that are available, which business owners want so they have enough parking for customers.

Tamble cautioned that if the proposed plan doesn’t create a safer condition, the parking spaces would be angled at 30 degrees to provide for 15 feet of driving clearance on the roadway. That change would eliminate eight street parking spaces.

City crews will restripe the road to accommodate one-way traffic and install signage.

The city also has planned a communication push to inform residents of the traffic flow change.