Work begins on South Bend Smart Streets

Road construction began Monday morning in downtown South Bend.

Main Street is one of the streets being converted from one-way to two-way traffic this spring.

Workers are starting on the mayor's Smart Streets plan.

They began by marking sidewalks and bringing in some heavy equipment to replace a few water mains.

Traffic light workers are also on hand, since they'll soon be putting in more signals as Main and St. Joseph streets are converted from one-way to two-way traffic.

The orange went up and arrows point the way as workers begin laying the ground work for a downtown South Bend transition.

“The commute might be a little bit slower, but that's by design. We want people to not go through downtown as if it were a highway; we want people to notice what's happening downtown,” South Bend public works deputy director Jitin Kain said.

For the next six months, crews will convert both Main and St. Joseph streets from one-way to two-way traffic.

“We have to make downtown more walkable and pedestrian friendly. And to do that, it's important to see the lanes narrower and wider sidewalks,” Kain said.

Kain says along with the conversion, three new Michigan Street roundabouts will be built starting in June along Bartlett, Marion and Chippewa. Though, he admits commuters may notice both a morning and evening bottleneck.

“We understand there'll be some disruptions to normal life, but the end result is what I think is the most exciting part of this project,” Kain said.

“I park in the parking garage, but I think during construction, I might start riding my bike for less of a commute,” Emilie Thompson, who works downtown, said.

Kain says the mayor's plan was adopted to encourage Main and Michigan Street commuters to spend more time downtown.

“We certainly hope for less confusing traffic. Right now, we see on a regular basis people driving the wrong way on a one-way street. And to get from point A to point B, you often have to make multiple left turns or right turns,” Kain said.

“There are multiple streets you can take now. So, I think people will just find new ways if they realize it's going to take too long,” Thompson said.

Next week, workers will start ripping up concrete to begin putting in the new wider sidewalks and bike lanes.

Roundabout construction will wait until June until after school lets out.

The work is expected to take around three months with a goal of finishing before Notre Dame's football season kicks off.

The Irish play three home games in September when thousands of fans will be driving on those streets.