One-Way Street by Library to Move Forward

Marshfield, WI (OnFocus) A permanent one-way street by the 2nd Street Community Center and library will move forward, pending final approval from the Common Council.

The eastbound one-way with angled parking will extend on 2nd Street for one block from S. Maple Ave. to S. Cedar Ave. as a solution to concerns, particularly from the elderly, over the lack of available parking.

The Board of Public Works, which postponed the decision in November until more information could be gathered about how many spaces parallel parking would create, decided on an option that would create angled parking on the north side of the street with no south side parking at an estimated cost of $34,000. This would form 16 stalls.

A more expensive option would have formed angled parking on the north side with parallel parking on the south side, creating 25 stalls at a cost of $56,000. The board could also have decided to keep the street as it is, or remove parking restrictions on the north side of the street and paint parallel parking spaces, forming 19 stalls while maintaining two-way traffic.

If a funding source is not found for construction in 2020, the project will use CIP funding to construct in 2021. Otherwise temporary angled parking, as was tested from Sept. 15 to Nov. 1 this fall to gather input from those who use the two facilities, would return next spring, weather permitting.

Alderman Mike Feirer said the two-way parallel parking option made the street too narrow and isn’t convenient or safe for the elderly who would not be able to get out of the way of an oncoming car. “Someone that’s walking with cane is never going to make it. They’re going to get hit. We’re agile enough to get out of the way. An elderly person is not,” he said.

In favor of the chosen option, Alderman Chris Jockheck said the angled parking would create more spots in front of the building than parallel parking, and that no board member received a phone call from citizens against the one-way solution.

The item will go before the Common Council for final approval.

Related:
-Board of Public Works Postpones Decision on One-Way Street
-City Approves Temporary One-Way Street by Library
-City to Test One-Way Street by Library
-Public Works Debates One-Way Street by Community Center