The City of Clarksville’s Street Department is taking the initiative this week to make College Street intersections near newly-opened F&M Bank Arena safer for downtown pedestrians and motorists.
Another significant set of safety measures will be activated Wednesday, Aug. 2 at 9 a.m., in anticipation of heavier automobile and foot traffic being generated by the new Arena, whose grand opening was recently celebrated by the community.
The City announces that a protected left turn signal for motorists has been added at College and Second streets for east-bound traffic.
At both College and Second, and College and Third streets, pedestrian signals have been added.
Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts and the leadership of the Street Department said that, along with construction of the Arena itself which was led by Montgomery County Government, these motorist and pedestrian modifications are necessary for the City to introduce, to improve safety for pedestrians and improve traffic flow.
"A part of our process was to allow the Arena to open and then observe the pedestrian and vehicle traffic before we added or changed signals," said Mayor Pitts.
“Our professionals at the Street Department now have a solid plan in place and are executing it to perfection. The additional safety measures will help make access to and from the Arena safer, but we still need the walking and driving public to be very aware of these key intersections, so everyone visiting our beautiful downtown area has a positive experience,” Mayor Pitts said.
Work on this set of improvements was expected to be completed by Thursday, July 27, and the signals will go into use by motorists and pedestrians alike at 9 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 2.
The project is funded in the Street Department’s internal Traffic and Street Light Materials budget, at around $60,000, with all equipment and materials already in stock.