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Problems pop up on new two-way street

04:41 PM CDT on Wednesday, August 13, 2008

By OLGA CAMPOS / KVUE News

The Cesar Chavez switch from one-way to two-way is a major change for downtown drivers. And while it's only been two days, some problems are popping up that city traffic engineers are already busy tweaking.

You can now turn east on Cesar Chavez from southbound Guadalupe. And you can turn west on Cesar Chavez from southbound Congress.

Plus for the first time in more than 30 years, you can drive both east and west on those five blocks.

It all became possible Monday after city officials cut the ribbon opening it to two-way traffic. Project Manager Rick Colbrunn says, "This is brand new to everybody."

So brand new that there have been a few close calls, especially for by drivers headed northbound on Congress Avenue.

Colbrunn says, "The north and southbound signal timing was slightly off, which would not permit northbound traffic to take a left turn onto Cesar Chavez because southbound traffic was constant."

Tweaking by traffic engineers will continue for about two weeks as drivers get used to the changes, but at Sana women's boutique, the changes already mean less traffic on Second Street since drivers no longer need to cut through to get to westbound Cesar Chavez.

Sana employee Alexandra Vara says, "Since Monday, I've been noticing that it's going a lot smoother."

The traffic change is also good news for the 25,000 commuters who drive Cesar Chavez every weekday. Jodie Garrison says, "I like it so far."

But what Garrison is not sold on is the cost. When asked what she thought about the $8.4 million price tag, Garrison responded by laughing and saying, "That seems almost criminal."

But if it saves time and gas, some drivers say it might be worth it. "Maybe in 20 years we'll have paid for it," says Garrison.

For problems with traffic changes anywhere in Austin, motorists are asked to report it by calling 3-1-1.

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