After years of planning, designing, and permitting your project, you’re finally ready to begin construction and issue the Notice to Proceed (NTP). It’s a big moment. Then a week later you’re contacted by your inspector, who tells you the contractor has stopped working and is threatening to submit a Notice of Changed Conditions. You have very little time to get up to speed and decide on a course of action. What will you do?

This post continues our series discussing the transformation of Main Street into a Complete Street in communities where Main Street serves as both a multi-modal local route and a state highway with high volumes of freight traffic. Our first post, The Evolution of Main Street, defined the problem and the second, Implementing a Complete Street Policy, looked at the role policy can play. In this post I am going to discuss how we can develop solutions by performing a corridor study.

Our Cities have built themselves around a street serving dual purposes. This street is attempting to serve as both Main Street and highway. As Main Street it strives to be the hub of a community, surrounded by commercial development and acting as a community gathering place. This purpose requires mobility for all users. As highway it strives for safe, reliable, timely and efficient through-travel. This purpose requires freight movement to deliver goods and services that these communities rely on.