Bloomington wants to make 10th Street safer between Morton Street and Indiana Avenue

Yahoo

02-04-2025

The city of Bloomington plans to spend up to $1 million to make changes to 10th Street. Here's when, why and how you can provide input.
The city is examining the half-mile stretch on 10th Street between Morton Street in the west and Indiana Avenue in the east.
The city has identified that stretch of 10th Street as a high priority area in the city's Safe Streets for All Initiative, based on crash data, traffic patterns and pedestrian safety concerns. The city wants to reduce accidents and improve walkability and bike access.
Karina Pazos, long range planner with the city, said the project is in the early stages and 'pretty much everything is on the table.' However, she cautioned that limited available space is eliminating some options, such as a multiuse path.
Much of the road surface is about 24 feet wide, and the sidewalks add another 5 feet on each side. Beyond the edge of the sidewalk, the city does not have access to a lot of space. In some cases, the sidewalk is right next to an exterior wall.
Pazos said there may only be enough space for a painted bike lane.
Pazos said the city may look at improving lighting, which probably does a better job of illuminating the road than the sidewalk, improving the intersections with painted or raised crosswalks and adding infrastructure to slow down vehicles. That could mean speed bumps or curb extensions that require drivers to steer around them.
The city also is considering adding trees, benches, community art and better infrastructure for disabled people, such as curb ramps.
That's not yet clear. Pazos said if the changes can be handled by the public works department, they may be implemented yet this year. However, if the project requires an outside contractor, bids likely would not be awarded until late this year, which means the work would be done in 2026.
Yes.
At 1:22 p.m. on March 29, 2018, during rain, a driver who was heading south on Grant and stopped at the intersection with 10th Street crashed into a bicyclist.
At 5:27 p.m. on May 17, 2019, a driver who was heading east on 10th Street struck a bicyclist at Dunn Street. The cyclist suffered injuries including a fractured skull.
Pazos said while some people may think, ''Oh, it's only two,' — there shouldn't be any.'
You can:
Attend a public meeting at 5:30 p.m. April 3 at Mr. Copy, 501 E. 10th St.
Complete the online survey: tinyurl.com/bdzctvjc
Email Pazos at [e-mail].
You can visit the 10th Street project website: tinyurl.com/yu4da9bp
Pazos said the cost of the changes cannot exceed $1 million and will be paid with borrowed money.
Boris Ladwig can be reached at [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington plans to make changes to 10th Street