Black Mountain considers one-way pattern for South Ridgeway Avenue
Town officials reexamine traffic on narrow Downtown street
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
August 12, 2025
A proposal to convert South Ridgeway Avenue in Black Mountain to a one-way southbound traffic pattern will move ahead, following guidance from the town council in its Aug. 11, regular monthly meeting. Photo by Fred McCormick
A traffic pattern change originally proposed in April of 2023 is once again under consideration, as the Town of Black Mountain explores converting South Ridgeway Avenue, from State Street to Sutton Avenue, into a one-way southbound flow.
The recommendation received by the town council in its Aug. 11 regular monthly meeting was presented by planning director Michelle Kennedy.
A resolution to change the current two-way pattern was first brought to the board by current assistant town manager Jessica Trotman, following a study conducted by Traffic Planning and Design and funded by the Town and business owners on the street. The data, collected over seven days in December of 2022, indicated the change would likely double the amount of traffic on South Richardson Boulevard.
Town council did not take any action when the proposal was presented in 2023, choosing instead to direct staff to engage residents and businesses in the area before moving ahead with the change.
“That study did show that South Ridgeway and a portion of Sutton could be turned into a one-way without any detriment to traffic,” Town Manager Josh Harrold to the town council. “The suggested route would be south from U.S. 70.”
The conversion would require an adjustment of the traffic light at the intersection of State Street and Richardson Boulevard to accommodate the pattern, according to Kennedy.
“If we go about the process of making this a one-way road, there is room to lower reduce the size of the road and allow space for a bike and pedestrian walkway,” she said.
The change, which would eliminate two-way traffic around the curve connecting South Ridgeway to Sutton Avenue, is consistent with the Town’s comprehensive plan, according to the planning director.
“In ‘Elevate Black Mountain’ there are eight development principles. One of those is that places throughout Black Mountain are well-connected and designed to balance the needs of pedestrians, drivers, cyclists and transit users,” Kennedy said. “Goal 2.1 is to have complete neighborhoods with diverse housing options and walkable to daily needs.”
The recommendation from town staff was to implement the analysis and move forward with the process, she concluded. If the conversion is implemented, pedestrian and bike lane would be created by reducing the roadway to 12 or 14 feet in width.
“We’re talking about constricting the lane, which allows room to have the dedicated bike or pedestrian lane, so those would be items we could move forward with, fairly rapidly,” Kennedy told the council.
The proposed traffic pattern is supported by area residents, according to the planning director.
“The next step for us is to engage the active mobility commission,” Kennedy said. “We’ve certainly had conversations with people who live and work on that street, and we’ll continue to have conversations with them. All of those conversations have been positive and supportive of this plan.”
The move, which was encouraged by the town council, will benefit property owners with future plans to develop in the area, according to Councilmember Pam King.
“I do think if somebody is considering developing the former RailYard property, they would want to know what we’re going to do about that street,” she said. “If I were putting in money to buy something, I would want to know.”
Elected officials agreed that the process of pursuing the traffic pattern change should move forward.