Residents share feedback on Hemphill lane configuration

About 80 residents and business owners gathered on Monday, April 6, at Victory Forest Community Center to provide input and discuss Hemphill Corridor traffic lane configuration with City officials.

Traffic Engineer Rajnish Gupta presented findings from a follow-up study in response to requests from community members and the City Council to reassess the corridor, including consideration of a potential return to a five-lane configuration from the current three-lane configuration.

The Hemphill Corridor that is part of the study stretches from West Vickery Boulevard to West Hammond Street and spans Council Districts 9 and 11.

Councilmembers Elizabeth Beck and Jeanette Martinez attended, along with many residents and business owners from their respective communities. Some in attendance supported the bike lanes, and others advocated for returning the corridor to four lanes or even five lanes.

“Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Hemphill Corridor meeting last night,” Martinez said. “I appreciate our TPW staff for facilitating the event and allowing residents to share their concerns and feedback about the potential expansion of the Hemphill Corridor.”

She added, “I encourage residents to stay tuned for updates/upcoming meeting dates and to submit comments. This conversation is ongoing, and we want to ensure that we hear from as many voices as possible.”

View the presentation slides:

Hemphill-Final-Draft-Presentation-w-contact_1.pdf(PDF, 4MB)

Comments and additional input can be shared with the traffic engineer. Next steps involve gathering input from neighborhoods and business owners.

The director of the Transportation & Public Works Department said another meeting will be held before any changes are made.

Photo: Community members listen to proposals for lane configurations along Hemphill Street south of downtown.

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