Fort Worth’s Magnolia Avenue goes on a diet

by Kevin Buchanan of of West and Clear

Just a little note about some changes you’ll be seeing this coming spring to everybody’s favorite indie urban hangout, Magnolia Avenue in the Near Southside. As I’ve reported on Fort Worthology today, after two public meetings and refinements to the design, Fort Worth South, Inc. is moving ahead on giving Magnolia a “road diet” - to my knowledge, the first of its kind in Fort Worth. As part of the Complete Streets initiative which Fort Worth South has supported in the new Near Southside zoning and development standards, Magnolia will be re-striped from its current configuration of four travel lanes, two in each direction.

The new Magnolia which will debut this spring will sport two travel lanes, one in each direction. In the center will be a dedicated left turn lane. And on the outside, using five feet on each side of extra space no longer taken up by cars, will be two dedicated bicycle-only lanes, one in each direction. (See the illustration above.) The new Magnolia will be slower and safer - partly due to the narrowing and lane reduction and partly due to putting left-turning cars in their own lane to eliminate the slaloming that occurs in the present configuration. It’ll be safer and more pleasant for pedestrians and sidewalk diners - cars will no longer be right up against the curb, and because of the new configuration’s lower design speed it will reduce traffic speed. And the new configuration will give bike-only lanes to improve bike safety and encourage more cyclists to use the street.

Fort Worth South will be giving their resolution to Councilmember Joel Burns now and the final process will begin. After getting TIF funding lined up in the first part of the new year, the re-striping will take place this coming spring. So now, residents, visitors, and businesses on Magnolia will have a slower, safer, more pedestrian-and-bike-friendly Magnolia to look forward to.