FORT WORTH, Texas -- Major changes are coming to streets in Fort Worth's West 7th district, turning two-way streets into one-ways to deal with a surge in bar and restaurant traffic.
Thousands of people pack the area on weekends, causing problems with congested streets and rowdy crowds. Intersections often bog down as traffic struggles to avoid pedestrians who've just poured out of bars.
In coming days, the city will put up new signage and re-stripe lanes to turn several two-way streets into one-way thoroughfares. South of West 7th Street itself, Foch, Norwood, Bledsoe, and Morton streets will all become one-ways. Currie Street and Crockett Street are the only streets that will remain 2-ways. City officials say the changes will be permanent.
"It'll help with traffic, it'll help with Uber and Lyft pickup," said Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price. "The whole idea is to make it easier to get around, to make it more user-friendly."
Mayor Price will formally announce the plan and share details with area business owners Thursday morning at a meeting. She said the city has been studying the area for years and working on a plan to deal with its unique challenges as a center of Fort Worth's nightlife that is set to grow even more with the addition of the nearby Dickies Arena.
"It is such a dynamic, vibrant area, we have to reinvest in that area," said the mayor.
The city is also adding a substantially larger police presence in the district. Beginning this Saturday, an additional 21 officers, as well as, two sergeants and a lieutenant will be assigned to West 7th during peak times. That is in addition to more than a dozen officers already assigned to the area, and Fort Worth police officials say those officers will have the flexibility to patrol either on bike or on foot to assist with traffic and crowds.
"From 11 o'clock to about 2:30, 3:30 in the morning, we'll see as many as 35 uniformed, on-duty officers, three sergeants and a lieutenant down there," said Commander Cynthia O'Neal with Fort Worth PD. "All the teams will be there on Friday and Saturday nights."
Soon, a new police storefront will open in the nearby Montgomery Plaza development where officers will be able to work, and until then, a mobile command post will be placed in the neighborhood. Commander O'Neal said that the additional officers will be in place for a trial period that could eventually be made permanent depending on needs.
One problem in the district is a lack of consistent sidewalks. Some streets have no sidewalks at all, forcing bar patrons into the street when they are attempting to walk. The city is planning to add sidewalks in coming months to remedy that situation.
"If the sidewalks are there, people will use them," said Mayor Price.
The city also plans to install parking meters on all streets in the area except Currie Street. About 400 additional parking spaces are also available in a lot of nearby Farrington Field, and officials said that there is discussion between FWISD and the West 7th Restaurant and Bar Association to make that parking free for customers.