Director's Take

Two-way Conversions for the Win

09-24-2026

Dear Friend of Downtown,

The state has completed the conversion of E. Main Street from a one-way to two-way traffic pattern. The process, and change itself, usually is difficult, but now that it’s done, it’s so cool to see Main Street and the streetscapes and buildings from a different perspective.

This two-way conversion follows the conversion of E. Jefferson and Main Street, west of 10th Street, to two-way traffic flow… and the great news? More is on the way.

How you get around your downtown and the experience you have while doing it has everything to do with your feelings of usefulness, comfort, safety, and level of interest. These are necessary changes to make pedestrians feel better on our downtown streets – they slow down traffic, they provide more visibility for street level businesses from both directions, and we no longer feel like we are on a highway in or out of downtown.

Funding the traffic plan that Jeff Speck and Stantec presented two years ago will take awhile to achieve, but Mayor Greenberg included $2 million in the current city budget for two-way conversions. That’s more good news. And in the meanwhile, River Road between 3rd and 7th streets was improved with a reduced lane to make the River Walk bigger and more bike and walker friendly along the Ohio River.

Details matter, and these are big ones. These changes will make it so much nicer to walk around, see your friends, and visit our street-level retailers and restaurateurs. Win win win!

See you on the streets soon!