WSU will be conducting a temporary traffic revision that closes a portion of Thatuna Street to all vehicular traffic. The goal of the revision is to improve the safety and efficiency of the Thatuna Street area for pedestrians, bicyclists, public transit, and vehicle traffic. The temporary revision will begin June 5th and end on June 29th.
The closed section of Thatuna St. will serve as a temporary pedestrian mall during the trial period. This will keep pedestrian traffic on the right side of Thatuna heading towards Cougar Way, giving pedestrians a direct path to the intersection. All vehicular traffic will remain on the left side of Thatuna, separating vehicles from pedestrians.
WSU will temporarily close the section of Thatuna St. from Linden St. to Colorado St. Anchored bollards will be installed at both the north and south ends of the closure to signify that there is no vehicle access in this area. See map below.
During the revision, north bound traffic on Thatuna St. will be diverted down Linden St. Affected Pullman Transit routes will be slightly altered to accommodate the revision, but will still service the Thatuna St. bus stop at the Chinook Student Center. Access to the gravel Green 4 parking lot next to the Chinook Student Center will still be available via a temporary driveway. Additionally, the metered parking on Thatuna St. will not be available during the revision. Temporary detour signage in the area will be in place for the revision.
The revision is being conducted in an effort to improve pedestrian flow, safety, and connectivity from the high density College Hill residential area to the core of the WSU campus. Currently, the intersection where Thatuna St. and C St. connect to Colorado St. is misaligned, causing line of sight issues for pedestrians, vehicles, and buses.
WSU chose to do the revision during the summer in order to test the feasibility in ideal weather conditions with lower overall traffic volume. If the revision is successful, WSU may try the demonstration again during the school year to test the concept with a higher traffic volume.
Before, during, and after the revision, WSU will be collecting vehicle and pedestrian data on overall volume and traffic flow patterns to try and gauge the effectiveness of the demonstration.
For questions regarding the Thatuna Project please contact WSU Transportation Services at transportation@wsu.edu or 509-335-PARK (7275).
