Betton Road Walk

Some Betton Hills residents will be sad, some will be happy as Betton Road will soon be open from Thomasville Road to Lee Ave.!  The scheduled opening is for Tuesday, February 22^nd.
 
The BHNA invites you to a Road Walk on Sunday, February 20^th, 1:00 – 3:00 PM.  The weather will be beautiful.  Take advantage of that to walk the to-be-opened Betton Road segment traffic-free.  This can be a fun time to talk with neighbors and see and hear about the safety improvements that have been built into the road.
 
A member of the city’s Betton Road project team will conduct a Q&A talk at 1:00 – 1:30.  Meet at the Trescott/Betton crosswalk.  Pick up a handout on the safety improvements.  After that, take advantage of this opportunity to walk the street.  You may be surprised to see what a significant hill Betton hill actually is.  BHNA board members will be present to answer additional questions you may have.
 
Park near Winthrop Park . . . better yet just walk or bike.  We hope you will see the new Betton as a guiding example of enhancing neighborhoods and improving road safety while meeting commuter needs.

Here are the main Betton Road traffic-related improvements:

• Travel lane widths slimmed from 12 to 10 feet.  (See example at Trescott crosswalk).  Lane slimming discourages speeding during nonpeak hours.  It also creates space to add a planting strip along the south side of Betton, providing a safety buffer for people using the sidewalk. 
• The crosswalk at Trescott allows safe crossings for walkers and bicyclists to/from Winthrop Park and Thomasville Road shops.  (Another crosswalk will be installed between Hickory and Spruce/E. Randolph Circle in the next phase of the project.) 
• Interspersed raised median islands in the middle lane (see one west of W. Randolph Circle).  The islands discourage speeding in the travel lanes and passing in the middle lane, making it safer for drivers on Betton and those entering from side streets or driveways. 
• Removal of left turn at Mitchell onto Betton.  The left was unsafe during peak hours as cars often became marooned across travel lanes, blocking traffic flow.  An improved crosswalk makes crossing Mitchell safer for youth going to/from Winthrop Park and Betton residents walking or biking to/from shops along Thomasville Road. 
• Extending the left turn lane on Betton at Thomasville Road.  Lengthening the lane 80 feet accommodates more cars thereby keeping west-bound traffic flowing.