City of Salem – 02/15/23 1:00 PM
Salem, Ore. — Downtown Salem will soon have another two-way street. Court Street (between Commercial St. SE and High St. SE) is becoming a two-way street to address mobility and usability issues within the City’s core. In addition to creating two-way traffic, the project will also include new medians and islands, traffic signals, and lighting. The changes are being made as part of the Central Salem Mobility Study recommendations.
The Court Street project was designed to help increase access to local downtown businesses by converting the westbound three-lane road into a two-lane east-west direction with appropriate left turn lanes at Commercial St. SE and High St. SE and available parking in both directions. These updates are like the recent conversion of State Street in 2021, which is located one block south of Court Street. The design and construction of the project is $500,000.
Beginning Thursday, February 16, 2023, two lanes of Court Street will be closed as a new median is constructed at High St. SE. Installation of the new street striping to complete the project is weather-dependent and requires a period of dry weather with temperatures above 40 degrees. The public should watch for signs and cones identifying temporary lane markers and turn lane indicators and obey all traffic signs as various traffic control measures are updated and replaced.
Over the next several weeks, construction crews will alter and change aspects of the streetscape on Court Street including:
- Building new concrete medians and islands
- Installing traffic signals and lighting
- Replacing roadway striping
- Altering the parking direction on the eastbound spaces.
Follow us on social media for photos and updates on this project. For more information on current City of Salem road construction projects, visit the Active Construction Dashboard to view up-to-date information on the infrastructure improvements going on in your neighborhood.
