Council to tackle North Street congestion

Published 3:32 pm Monday, May 10, 2021

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

In an effort to solve a downtown traffic congestion problem, the Farmville Town Council is considering making part of North Street one way.

Mayor David Whitus referred the issue to the Infrastructure Committee during council’s work session Wednesday, May 5. He asked the committee to bring a recommendation to council on how to solve the issue.

The street is home to the North Street Press Club and the Hotel Weyanoke as well as a couple downtown apartment buildings. The Farmville Herald is also on the street.

Email newsletter signup

“There’s been a lot of concern about traffic on North Street. I have actually been through there at night several times, and it’s very congested with traffic going both ways and people trying to cross the street,” Whitus said. “Some of the business owners through there are concerned about the traffic patterns and what is happening on North Street.”

Vice-Mayor Chuckie Reid said he has heard from people who want to make the street one way.

Town Manager Dr. Scott Davis said the owners of the North Street Press Club requested the street be made one way before the restaurant opened. The request was turned down at that time. Scott said the one-way portion of the street could go from West Third Street to High Street.

“I think overall it would be a positive change for that location,” Davis said.