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If you’ve been driving in Arcata this week, you’ve probably already noticed that the two blocks of Eighth and Ninth Streets between K and I are closed, and that traffic on K Street has been a bit of a shitshow. 

The reason behind the chaos is that the City of Arcata is busy converting those sections of Eighth and Ninth into one-way traffic — a change the City has been planning for years to help calm traffic conditions and beautify the downtown area as a part of the City’s 8th and 9th Street Improvement Project

Construction began at the beginning of the week and is expected to be complete by Thursday, Mar. 21. Once complete, both streets will be one lane instead of two, with Eighth Street running eastbound and Ninth Street running westbound. In addition to removing one traffic lane, both streets will have new crosswalks and buffered bike lanes. 

Assuming that the construction timeline is on track, the streets could be reopened with their new one-way lanes on Friday, so make sure you are paying extra close attention when turning onto Eighth or Ninth. Both streets are already one-way between F and I Streets, so the change only extends the one-way traffic by two blocks. 

Seems easy enough to remember. But this Arcata driver knows that old habits die hard, so remembering that you can’t turn left onto Ninth Street from K Street to get to the Co-op anymore is going to take some getting used to! 

Safe driving, Arcata! Here’s more from a City of Arcata press release:

As planned Eighth and Ninth streets will be converted from two-way travel to one-way travel between I and K streets as part of the Eighth and Ninth Streets Improvement Project. The one-way conversion is scheduled to begin on Monday, March 18 with anticipated completion by Thursday, March 21, weather permitting.

Eighth and Ninth streets will be temporarily closed to through traffic between I and K streets while new pavement markings and striping are being installed for the conversion of the roadways to one-way travel. Residents and traffic going to and from businesses will have access during the closure; however, it may be limited at times and/or detours may be in place.Activities may take several days to complete depending on the weather. Once the new pavement markings and striping have been installed and existing new signage is uncovered, the streets will be re-opened with the new one-way travel configuration in phases as sections of the roadway are completed.

Changeable Message Signs (CMS) will be placed throughout the project area to provide additional notification and scheduling details for regular users of the roadways. Also, once the one-way conversion is in place, temporary signage will remain onsite for two weeks to help provide additional awareness and reminders of the new traffic pattern. Members of the community are encouraged to follow all safety directional signs and messages on the CMS.

Additional information about the project and traffic control changes will be posted online at the City’s Active Construction webpage cityofarcata.org/413/Current-City-Construction-Projects. For more information on the project’s planning process, check out the City’s Featured Project webpage at: cityofarcata.org/980/8th-and-9th-Street-Improvement-Project.

If problems are encountered with this project, please contact RAO Construction at (707) 443-2118 or the City of Arcata at (707) 825-2175.