Hickman Mills United Neighbors demand widening of 99th Street

By John Sharp

A large crowd of neighborhood residents attended the July 29 meeting of Hickman Mills United Neighborhoods to discuss the need for widening and making other improvements to E. 99th St. between Blue Ridge Blvd. and James A. Reed Rd.

Residents along the street and adjacent areas have complained the narrow unimproved street with no curbs or sidewalks is dangerous for motorists and pedestrians and have cited at least one fatal accident and several injury accidents as evidence for the need for improvements.

City Engineer Nicolas Bosonetto said at the meeting that the traffic lanes on the street are only ten and a half feet wide and should be at least eleven feet wide with a two-foot shoulder on each side of the street to allow safe clearance between vehicles heading the opposite directions, particularly when emergency or other large vehicles are involved.

Currently, there are steep drop-offs along portions of both sides of the street not allowing vehicles to move even a little off the roadway to avoid large vehicles such as fire trucks coming in the opposite direction without going into ditches that in some places are right next to the street.

A city-funded study on improvements to the street that was completed in April 2021 recommended totally reconstructing and widening the two-lane street so it would have twelve-foot wide lanes, installing curbs and gutters to keep the edges of the street from crumbling and having a two-foot shoulder on both sides of the street, as well as constructing a sidewalk on the north side of the street as one of the best options.  It also recommended installing storm sewer pipes and inlets to address serious drainage issues.

Bosonetto said the study showed that two lanes of traffic of the proper width with other recommended improvements should be adequate to safely handle traffic on the street.

Originally the study estimated the cost of such recommended improvements would be $6 million, but he said the work now is likely to cost about $7 million.

Councilman Darrell Curls who represents the area said at the meeting that due to the project’s relatively high cost it would probably be best to divide the work into phases so work can be started sooner due to its urgent need rather than waiting until the entire amount would be available.