Located 35 miles from Atlanta, HWY 20 and HWY 278 are the primary routes to Covington Town Center. However, there is no celebration once one enters Covington boundaries and little to inform the new visitor how to approach the Historic Downtown.
Hover over the Images to the right to see a before and after drawing.
Gateways are recommended at significant points of entry to help the unfamiliar user navigate the environment and create a sense of place. Scale and type of gateway shall be appropriately themed and scaled for the entry point.
To the left is a conceptual design of Pace Street Entry Gateway to Historic Downtown Covington.
New signals should be upgraded to current standards and timed to allow traffic to circulate at the speed limit, thereby reducing the tendency to speed.
New LED lights should be specified to maximize electrical efficiencies. If budget is available, consider installing LED pedestrian scale lights with banners to denote a special area, such as the Medical Gateway.
Medians shall be installed throughout the corridor with limited breaks at signalized intersections to help control vehicular traffic, improve safety, and provide a pedestrian refuge that reduces the length of time to cross the street in the crosswalk. The median width will be reduced at a signalized intersection to provide adequate queuing of vehicles for the left turn or U-turn operations. The design team will work with the community stakeholders to determine the location of mid-block breaks to facilitate the u-turn operations to ensure vehicular access to businesses.
Medians will include decorative LED pedestrian lights with place-making banners for each district to convey a specialized message. Decorative crosswalks can be utilized to define the pedestrian connections and, if desired, can be designed to create a memorable sense of place. Refer to notes on Street trees.
Brick pavers will be used in medians at narrow left turn lanes where planting is not feasible and as a two foot maintenance border to protect maintenance staff. All materials specified will be obtained within 100 miles of the project in order to match the existing character and to save on transportation costs.
Bicycling has become an increasingly accepted mode of transportation throughout the United States, as it encourages healthy lifestyles, minimizes transportation costs and has less negative impact on the environment. This needs further study with the DOT and community input to confirm the viability of this mode of transportation. A minimum of three feet buffered zone, which could be striped or planted, would provide adequate protection for the faster-moving vehicles.