Sixteen years.
That is how long I have been hearing about a plan to redesign the massive failure scarring the Frog Hollow neighborhood.
At one time, these roads surrounding Pope Park and an elementary school were human-scale. Old photos prove it. Park Terrace was a narrow, delightful road along Pope Park, with views of the flowing Park River.
But I-84 was prioritized over all else, turning this piece of my neighborhood into what amounts to a speedway– an extension of highway ramps, and though the speed is posted at 30 MPH (yes, in a school zone!) most zoom up and down Park Terrace well above that.
Those who need to walk or bike have been regarded as an afterthought, if at all. Marked crosswalks faded long ago. A bus stop in the middle of a traffic island seems less like convenience and more like a way to punish those relying on public transportation; it’s a stub of broken glass and weeds without a bench or shelter. The signalized intersection at Park Terrace, Russ Street, and Sigourney Street has no designated pedestrian cycle, which seems hostile considering the foot traffic of elementary school students and their parents. Median signs are routinely plowed down; there were over 20 crashes at that intersection alone in 2019, and those are just the ones that have been reported.
It looks like we might finally be getting the infrastructure that we deserve.
After more than a decade of planning and the equivalent of pushing the food around on one’s plate, this last week, definite signs of movement arrived. Jersey barriers guard Russ Street from Park Terrace to Putnam Street, with a small area open for pedestrians traveling to Pope Park North and Burns elementary. Park Terrace between Capitol Avenue and Park Street is partially barricaded, discouraging all but local traffic. The sidewalk has been removed from the island bus stop and a pile of dirt has been dumped at the end of that aggressively unnecessary slip lane that runs from Park Terrace north to Russ Street east.
The roundabout construction is expected to take around one year to complete. In the meantime, residents can enjoy the significant decrease of traffic noise and pollution, a fine reward for showing such patience toward this project since 2004.
