West Kentucky Street Corridor Plan Louisville, Kentucky

Services Provided

Corridor Planning
Urban Design
Community Engagement

People Involved

Andy Knight
Casey Elmer
Luis Calvo

Awards

2019 KAPA Merit Award for Outstanding Corridor Plan

Re-imagining a downtown neighborhood corridor to create a livable, authentic urban street.

MKSK led a multidiscipline team to reimagine West Kentucky Street from Dixie Highway to 4th Street near downtown Louisville. This corridor runs through several neighborhoods and connects a variety of land uses that include residential, industrial, and institutional. The current condition of varying lane widths, one- and two-way vehicular traffic, poor roadway and sidewalk pavement conditions, railroad crossings, multiple bike lane configurations, unsafe pedestrian crossings, limited lighting for safety and continuity, minimal street trees, and no green infrastructure for stormwater management, presented an opportunity to identify safety and aesthetic improvements within the corridor.

An extensive existing conditions analysis and a stakeholder and community engagement process coupled with already varied land uses along the corridor, informed the conceptual design. The Plan provides recommendations for multi-modal transportation, lane width reductions that provide safer and better pedestrian circulation, greener streets with tree canopy and green stormwater infrastructure, safer crossings at intersections, improved railroad and railyard crossings, and authentic identity through public art, murals, and interpretive signage.

Through a process of de-emphasizing vehicles and prioritizing pedestrians and bicyclists, the Master Plan weaves together a comprehensive strategy that promotes a safer, greener, expressive, and connected urban corridor.