Central Entrance Lane Closure Causes Congestion
Posted at: 09/19/2012 10:20 PM
| Updated at: 09/20/2012 3:55 AM
By: Paige Calhoun
"I avoid this stop light at all costs," Tyler Bicknese said. He delivers Sammy's Pizzas from the intersection of Arlington Avenue and Central Entrance in Duluth, but he said traffic there is too backed up.
"Getting out of here has always been kind of a hassle and I always have to try to find unique ways of getting out," Bicknese said.
He's not the only one concerned about the congestion, "We've been getting feedback from the public about the delay of Central Entrance and Arlington Avenue, St. Louis County Traffic Engineer Victor Lund said. He said drivers on the northern leg of Arlington trying to turn right onto Central Entrance towards Miller Hill Mall were backed up all the way over a hill. Lund said a shared right turn and through lane are to blame, so now they're working to add a right-turn only lane.
"You remember the situation where you want to make a right turn and the guy ahead of you wants to go straight. Now you have your right turn so you can make your movement," Lund said.
To construct the right-turn lane, west-bound traffic on Central Entrance has been reduced to one lane causing more backups in the mean time. But Bicknese said it will be worth the trouble, "Sometimes you have to take the bad in order to get the good."
Lund also found trouble with the south leg of Arlington where people turn left to go towards the mall, "People were literally waiting between 2-3 cycles at the traffic signal just to make that left turn."
To help with that, Lund said they hope to change that left turn signal from a solid green light to a green arrow next year. They would also like to change signal times to speed things up. A plus for drivers, and folks who are waiting on their pizzas, "I think I deliver them pretty fast already, but I'll try to get them to you faster, " Bicknese said.
The Central Entrance lane closure will stop over the weekend, but continue next week for one more day. Lund encourages drivers to use alternate routes if possible.
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