Two more sections of one-way street in downtown Toledo will be converted to two-way traffic by year's end, continuing a gradual city program to reduce one-way streets that started 10 years ago.

The conversions of Jefferson Avenue between 11th and Erie streets, and Madison Avenue between 17th and Michigan streets, remain to be scheduled, Gary Stookey, a senior engineer with the city's transportation division, said yesterday.

But the conversion essentially depends on arranging for additional traffic lights, signs, and stripe painting.

"We're waiting to hear from the mayor's office on when we want to coordinate this," Mr. Stookey said.

While making progress toward downtown business leaders'

goal of eliminating most one-way streets in Toledo, the imminent conversions don't go far enough to satisfy Tom Crothers, executive director of the Downtown Toledo Improvement District.

A master plan the improvement district's predecessor, Downtown Toledo Inc., adopted calls for Madison and Jefferson to be two-way in their entirety, and Huron Street, which is now southbound-only north of Washington Street, to be converted as well.

"Two-way traffic calms traffic and promotes the entertainment and retail build-out" that business leaders seek for the central business district, said Mr. Crothers, who also serves as president of the Greater Downtown Business Partnership, an umbrella group of central Toledo business interests.

The proof, he said, is in the growth of stores and restaurants along Adams Street, west of Michigan Street, which in 1997 was the first in downtown Toledo to lose its one-way status.

Since then, other one-way streets, or sections of streets, in or near downtown have become two-way, including Jefferson west of 11th and Madison west of 17th last year, and Monroe and Washington streets east of 23rd Street early this decade in conjunction with the opening of Fifth Third Field.

The latest conversion involved Southard Avenue, which was switched last month from one-way to two-way between Franklin and Spielbusch avenues.

The Southard conversion "is technically still under review" because council hasn't formally approved it, Mr. Stookey said.

Considering that council only last week approved the section conversions of Jefferson and Madison that were done last year, that could be a while.

There is no plan to convert the rest of Jefferson and Madison to two-way traffic, "which would be very complicated," Mr. Stookey said.

Contact David Patch at:

dpatch@theblade.com

or 419-724-6094.

First Published September 20, 2007, 10:29 a.m.