CLEVELAND — Road closed signs, orange cones and unexpected traffic backup on Prospect Avenue are what Dom Nelson said he saw all day on Thursday while bartending at Harry Buffalo in Downtown Cleveland.
“Right now, everything is just congested especially with East Fourth, with us being right here in the middle. It’s kind of bad,” said Nelson.
Even Anthony Verde said it’s been an adjustment trying to understand exactly what’s going on while he watched outside Barrio Tacos.
“I’m torn because I feel like in one way I see the vision of what they’re trying to do. They’re trying to make the flow of traffic easy like when you (are) leaving the games,” said Verde.
But Verde said he’s not sure how it’s going to work out.
“It’s going to have like a very backed up traffic with everybody trying to move one way,” said Verde.
Still, Verde, Nelson and Megan Brautigam said they’re hopeful things will eventually get better once people get used to Huron Road and Prospect Avenue being one-way streets between Ontario and East 9th Street.
“I really like the idea of it making it more pedestrian-friendly,” said Brautigam.
Brautigam said she works and spends a lot of her time in Downtown Cleveland, so she said she believes this transformation will help people explore the area more easily, whereas Farankie Winfield believes it’ll create more confusion.
“I understand what they’re trying to do but I really think they should keep it like a two-lane because a one-lane is going to cause so much catastrophe because this is well known to be a busy section,” said Winfield.
While it’s safe to say it will take some time for people to get used to the new traffic pattern, we just told you last week about how this is not the first time something like this has been done, after we learned that police turn Huron and Prospect into one-way streets before and after big games to direct traffic.
RELATED: Cleveland's Huron Road and Prospect Avenue to become one-way streets
Now, things will soon be more permanent to create safer, more comfortable streets for everyone, including those bars and restaurants like Barrio, who might want to add sidewalk seating.
“I know in the future it’s going to be great for businesses,” said Nelson.
It's not exactly clear when this project is expected to be completed, so when you head downtown, be prepared and patient.
