Bridge Avenue traffic needs good solution

Published 8:44 am Friday, December 19, 2008

Recently the paper did a story on the future of Bridge Avenue in Albert Lea, presenting the problem and the potential solutions. As someone who drives during morning and afternoon “rush hours” on that street nearly every day, I was pleased to see that something is going to be done to make that “commute” less of a hassle.

One thing that wasn’t clear, however, is whether the “connections” between Bridge and Main Street are part of any of the options presented. I think that problem needs to be part of any solution to traffic congestion in that part of town. Currently, there is no clear way to move between Bridge and Main. Instead there’s a series of side streets that carry traffic in haphazard and unnecessarily hazardous ways.

From this driver’s perspective, the main problem on Bridge is left-turning vehicles. At the busiest times each day, many of those trying to get to and from the high school, mall, downtown businesses or the Albert Lea Medical Center get stuck behind someone determined to turn left against oncoming traffic. It’s especially frustrating at the intersection which has a right turn lane for the north bound traffic but leaves everyone else stuck behind the driver turning left.

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As a response to the solutions I’ve read about, I don’t believe that it will ever be necessary to turn Bridge into a four-lane urban expressway. Traffic will flow at a reasonable rate once the left turning vehicles get out of the main roadway and into a middle left turn only lane. Spending so much money on a four lane road might also make fixing the way vehicles move back and forth between Bridge and Main more difficult.

Whatever happens next, I hope that city and county officials don’t automatically adopt the consultants’ recommendations, but do some thinking (and driving on Bridge during “rush hour”) of their own.

David Behling

Albert Lea