For the past six months, Williamson Road has seen the number of travel lanes go down and a center turn lane has been added in an effort to reduce travel speeds and lower the number of crashes.
A survey called Envision Williamson Road has also been gathering information from residents and businesses alongside the road to help with future improvements.
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10 News reached out to the City of Roanoke for comment and they provided the following statement:
“We heard from nearly 1,000 people and had direct conversations with businesses and residents along Williamson Road. The feedback was fairly evenly split. About half of the responses felt the changes improved traffic safety and flow or didn’t change conditions, while the other half did not support the changes.”
“Travel studies indicate that traffic volume and travel times have not changed significantly. VDOT will have updated crash data in the coming months. The Envision Williamson Road steering committee will meet again in July before making a recommendation to City administration regarding paving that will take place later this summer.”
Meanwhile, local businesses have seen the effects firsthand.
Valerie Brown, Executive Director of the Greater Williamson Road Business Association, saw the positives, saying that the drive is now safer since people are going the speed limit.
“I’ve also heard from a lot of people that they like the pace of the drive and that in reality, they never realized how crazy the driving was when it was two lanes each way until they get to the end of Williamson Road and they either turn on to Hershberger or turn on to Orange,” Brown said."
Brian Parra, assistant manager of Lupita’s Tacos, also agreed that the changes are a positive.
“I think it’s better overall, because like it’s easier to just go down the street and then take a left-handed turn instead of a right-handed way forever,” Parra said.
However, he can also see why people view the lane changes as a negative.
“I just think that some people drive really slow, which is fine because I mean they’re driving the speed limit, but some people tend to go lower than the speed limit, I guess because they’re nervous,” Parra said. “It just tends to make other people late for work or in general, it just backs the traffic up on the street.”
Brown, meanwhile, views it as a way for people to drive a bit slower down Williamson Road and get a look at the businesses that line the road.
“Many of the businesses have seen an uptick in some of their business as well because you have cars that are going up and down the road now, and it’s at a slower pace,” Brown said. “Not a much slower pace, but it’s a slower paced and they’re noticing businesses they never saw before.”