RICHMOND, Va. – There were big changes for drivers in Shockoe Bottom Saturday as a new two-lane section of 18th Street opened between Grace and Broad.
The change is part of a larger project to improve traffic flow downtown.
In fact, city planners have been phasing in two-lane streets since 2010.
Crews are expected to being work on a similar conversion to parts of 17th Street in the coming week.
“I think it's long overdue,” said Cameron Asgharpour, who was driving in the Bottom Saturday. “People are constantly driving down the wrong side of the road. It’s a city, I mean come on, you need to have more space for everyone to drive.”
In addition to smoother traffic, city planners said they expect the change to boost downtown business.