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UPDATED 12/12/23:
Plans, Studies & Presentations
A quick snapshot of the benefits of traffic-calming and a two-way street grid
Watch video from downtown stakeholders on why they believe two-way streets will be beneficial for the city:
ORIGINAL POST 2/16/22:
Picture this: a more pleasant, walkable and bike-able Downtown Davenport experience on 3rd and 4th Street. Imagine crossing the street with less speeding traffic racing through stoplights. How about more visible retail storefronts and opportunity for west-downtown development? Does fewer screeching tires and engine noise bouncing through your apartment sound appealing? Consider the value of a more welcoming visitor experience. Remember the flood? Let’s build a dedicated detour route to keep businesses and apartments accessible when the Mississippi River rises again.
In 2023-2024, 3rd and 4th streets will go through a total rebuild and resurfacing from Telegraph Road to Harrison Street. While the roads are under major reconstruction anyway, we can also improve the downtown experience with the addition of traffic-calming two-way streets from Marquette to River Drive/QC Times building. We can seize the moment, save money and minimize disruption.
But planning starts now. On Tuesday, Feb. 22, the Davenport City Council will meet for a work session to discuss the planned reconstruction and the Downtown Davenport Partnership’s (DDP) proposed two-way street implementation. This is a first step in a lengthy process, and once approved, the design process would begin and ensure a balance between walkability of the neighborhood, business needs and traffic efficiency (like loading zones and intersection designs).
The DDP Board of Directors serve as the voice of downtown property and business owners and has committed to financially contribute for the return of two-way traffic. The directional conversion from Marquette to River Drive is estimated to be $1.7 million. DDP has committed to cover 40% of the cost by sharing in annual City bond payments toward the project for 10 years.
3rd and 4th street one-ways were established in 1954 and Brady and Harrison followed suit in 1972-73. In the 68 years since its first implementation, dramatic changes have taken place in Davenport and the world. From the end of downtown department stores to the advent of ATMs and the internet, to closing Perry Street from 2nd to 4th streets when the RiverCenter was built, our traffic and shopping patterns have fundamentally changed.
Since 2000, a whopping six different master plans and traffic studies have made one thing abundantly clear. Our current and future downtown goals are no longer served by the freeways cutting through the heart of our neighborhood. Traffic calming and a focus on pedestrian-level development is now more important than non-existent traffic congestion and a misguided race to keep up with the suburbs. While Brady and Harrison are not on the table right now at City Hall, those streets ultimately need the same attention for the same reasons (as every one of six studies has also recommended).
“As a key anchor to the downtown arts and culture district, our primary mission is economic growth and creating viability and a strong downtown,” said Rick Palmer, Executive Director of the RiverCenter and the Adler Theatre. In 1997, he approached the City about turning 3rd Street back into a two-way but was unsuccessful. Twenty-five years later, his goals are the same.
“It will make the downtown more walkable,” said Dan Bush, co-owner of Analog Arcade Bar, Armored Gardens and Devon’s Complaint Department. “I know specifically on 4th Street, it is hard for businesses to succeed because of the one-way. But most important to me, floods are just part of downtown living, but if we want businesses to thrive and want apartment buildings to be full, having a way to easily navigate through the downtown during a flood to keep commerce going is very important,” he said.
“It will be good for business owners because people will slow down and see the business going both ways. All the off-street parking would help us as well,” said Andrew Lopez, Co-Owner of Lopiez, “I see the safety side of it, as well. People drag race to make the light on River Drive. It is very dangerous and has caused many wrecks. Also, every day I see at least three cars going the wrong way down the one-way. This change will do nothing but help our downtown community,” he said.
Traffic calming and removal of one-ways downtown has become common across in small and mid-sized cities, particularly in the Midwest. Dozens of cities have successfully converted one-ways and reaped the benefits: Cedar Rapids, Muscatine, Lansing, MI, Des Moines, Fargo, ND to name a few. And just last week, Peoria, Illinois, announced it would spend $14 million to transform downtown streets into two-ways, and will cover the cost from city coffers, not federal funds, because the benefits are worth the cost.
Just like the race in the 1950s to build one-ways, there’s a new race to meet modern needs to undo them, particularly in smaller cities that lack serious congestion and high traffic counts. DDP acknowledged this over 20 years ago.
“Giving people the chance to slow down and take a moment to visit our store and our neighbors would be a great asset,” said Becca Nicke, Co-Owner of Abernathy’s. “We would have increased visibility for our businesses and for people not from QC. It would make the streets simpler and give them an opportunity to really explore our downtown. The natural flow of commerce going both ways is going to help a westward expansion. You can see the direction of the street has been the direction of commerce, development and people investing here in the downtown. To be able to see that continue further down on the west end be great,” she said.
We are well aware that this project isn’t a silver bullet to all that ails us. Downtown needs many founding building blocks to grow and this is but one piece of the puzzle. But founding blocks must still be built.
Local and global conditions downtown have dramatically and fundamentally changed in the 68 years since this traffic infrastructure was built. Infrastructure exists to meet public community needs. The last 20 years of expert plans to address this issue is enough. It’s time we act and create more opportunity to meet our modern goals.
Turning 3rd and 4th Streets into two-ways would:
Traffic-calming for improved quality of life and safer speeds in our mixed-used neighborhood
More opportunity for small business growth & vitality
Visitor-friendly with faster and safer access to key amenities & hotels. Studies support improved accessibility, efficiency of time to destination, revised loading zones, use of stop signs, etc.
Improve flood resilience and need for dedicated detour route
Keep up with competition: Midwest cities moving ahead in the fight for residents and workforce