LaSalle Avenue is a main thoroughfare out of downtown South Bend and one of the most heavily trafficked roads in the city.
It’s also one of the most dangerous with 100 reported crashes between Niles and Notre Dame avenues since 2020,per data collected by the Michiana Area Council of Governments.
That’s why the city is moving forward with the $5.6 million LaSalle Streetscape project officials say will calm traffic and make the area a place people can enjoy on foot.
Starting in June, LaSalle will go from four lanes of traffic to two lanes. Raised intersections, commonly known as speed tables, will go in at the intersections with Niles Avenue and Hill Street and separated bike lanes will go along the side of the road from the river to Notre Dame Avenue.
The finished stretch will also see additional street lighting, wider sidewalks and more on-street parking.
The goal, according to South Bend planners Tim Corcoran and Michael Divita, is to make the LaSalle Avenue corridor more balanced for all types of traffic in the area.
“We see this project as balancing the needs of both cars, pedestrians and cyclists," said Corcoran, the city's Director of Planning.
Construction will begin at the end of June and is scheduled to finish up in early November. The city’s Board of Public Works awarded Milestone Contractors the construction bid earlier this month.
Planners anticipate a bump to local businesses once construction is complete as they hope the project makes shopping more conducive to foot traffic. Divita, a senior planner with the city, said he expects a similar uptick in investment, similar to what the East Bank neighborhood saw when improvements came to East Jefferson Boulevard a few years prior.
But another main impetus for the proposal that's reminiscent of Smart Streets, is to curb dangerous driving along LaSalle. Just as concerning as the number of crashes along the section of road just a third of a mile long, is their severity. There have been 11 that have involved serious injury since 2019, according to MACOG.
“I’ve experienced accidents and the pole getting knocked down repeatedly. It’s amazing how much," said Frank Perri, who owns the Lauber restaurant at the corner of Niles and LaSalle. “After seeing that kind of thing happening, I’m all for this improvement."
Perri said he was skeptical of the project when Divita and Corcoran first approached businesses about it, but he eventually came to the conclusion that the long-term benefits will outweigh the temporary construction headaches.
“There’ll be some pains in the meantime while construction is going on, there always is,” Perri said. “And revenue tends to drop to the businesses that are on the path to progress, but I think it’s overall a worthwhile project and I’m looking forward to it.”
By narrowing streets and building raised intersections, Divita said the city’s goal is to have cars move through the area at around 25 miles per hour. And while city planners hear complaints about unnecessary slow downs, the goal is to make LaSalle a road for all types of traffic.
“From our perspective, we prioritize the environment we’re creating for those who live along the streets and the businesses along the streets rather than just someone who’s wishing to use the streets to pass through quickly,” Divita said.
