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Engineers recommend medians and a signal at Movie Row to reduce crashes on Industrial Drive
Summary
Barge Design presented a conceptual plan for Industrial Drive, citing crash rates up to six times the statewide average at some intersections and recommending a raised median, adjustments to left-turn access and a signal with a second turn lane at Movie Row to improve safety and operations.
Engineering firm Barge Design presented a corridor evaluation for Industrial Drive at the town workshop, recommending access-management and intersection changes to reduce crashes and improve traffic operations.
Brad Walsh, the project engineer, highlighted crash-rate data: “That section of Industrial Boulevard has crashes that are about almost one and a half times the statewide average,” and he said a nearby intersection “experienced a crash rate that's two and a half times the statewide average,” while another intersection was “almost six times the statewide average.” Based on safety data and modeling, the team proposed installing a raised median between Town Park Drive and Sam Ridley Parkway, limiting some left turns at Team Boulevard, and signalizing Movie Row. The preferred alternative also includes adding a second lane at Movie Row so left- and right-turning traffic have dedicated lanes.
Council members asked how the changes would affect local business access and traffic stacking. The consultant noted that if left turns are restricted at Team Boulevard, drivers would use Movie Row, Cheney Road or Grammar Lane; he also highlighted the need to coordinate navigation apps and signage so drivers know the new patterns. The consultant said a driveway realignment at the former Hickory Falls restaurant site could remove a conflict point and recommended the town pursue design and cost estimates and pursue grant opportunities because the corridor ranked high on the town’s high-injury network.
Why it matters: Industrial Drive mixes commuter traffic, trucks and retail access; staff flagged the corridor as a candidate for grant funds under safety programs. The changes are conceptual and would require detailed design, property adjustments and new traffic signal timing.
Next steps: Staff expects to pursue design, cost estimates and potential grants; the council indicated a preference for the consultant’s third alternative (median with signal and second lane at Movie Row) as the starting point for design work.
