Patricia Avenue Could Reopen to One-Way Traffic

City staff members are expected recommend to officials tonight that Patricia Avenue be reopened to one-way traffic.

Staff members are recommending the avenue be opened to northbound traffic. They will also recommend installing four speed humps and continuous sidewalks along north Patricia Avenue and a multi-way stop sign at McCarty Street to reconcile major safety concerns for residents because of overflow traffic.

The street, which was a popular Pinehurst Road-Bayshore Boulevard cut-through, has been closed just south of McLean Street since March 23.

The city’s traffic engineering department for six months after Patricia Avenue was closed and reported the findings in what became an uproarious meeting Oct. 20. Staff members recommended reopening Patricia Avenue during that meeting because traffic on the surrounding streets had become a safety concern.

Officials were just as split on the issue as the neighbors who turned out to speak. Ultimately, they opted not to reopen the street, and they pushed staff to go back and .

Tonight’s recommendation is the staff’s answer to the commission’s request. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at .