By Laura Clark

While the construction on South Limestone continues, the rest of the road will also get a makeover.

Through a public meeting Tuesday in the Student Center at 4:30 p.m., three designs will be presented to the public to improve pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular traffic.  Bicycle and pedestrian coordinator in the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government’s Division of Planning Kenzie Gleason said everyone is involved, including students.

“I remember when I went to UK, dashing across South Limestone … ” Gleason said. “Students are the biggest users of corridor, our biggest stakeholders … students have a lot to say about where those improvements need to be and how we should approach it.”

The areas the study will redesign include South Limestone from Cooper to Avenue of Champions, and on Upper Street, from the Scott Street area to Vine Street.  Gleason said while the study and the current South Limestone Streetscape Master Plan will not overlap, they are somewhat similar.

Gleason said the quickest changes would be minor, including alterations in signage or pedestrian crosswalks.  Construction affecting traffic patterns would not occur any time soon.

Engineering consultants with Wilbur Smith Associates will present three design options and a formal presentation will be given at 5:30 p.m Tuesday.

The South Limestone Multimodal Transportation Study was conducted by the LFUCG, UK, the Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.  Eighty-percent of the $120,000 bill for the study came from  the state, while UK and Lexington paid 10 percent each.

Gleason said the study is very early in the process, and said the next step is developing an alternative plan, with short and long-term goals.

“We’re not going to walk out of the room knowing exactly which design we want to move forward with,” Gleason said.  “It’s a hybrid of multiple ideas.”