The Jefferson City council voted last night to close a busy thoroughfare to vehicle traffic at the Lincoln University campus.
Supporters at the meeting said traffic on Chestnut Street is a major safety risk for pedestrians because it is right in the heart of Lincoln’s campus.
There were many residents from the area that did not think that now was the time to vacate the street.
“The neighbors have stood by the University for years and can take some credit for the improvement and beautification of the area," long-time resident Steve Walker said. "Closing it down now could be very inconvenient. Do we support something needing to be done? Certainly, but we’d rather sit down and talk about it."
Cathy Bordner, another long-time resident of the area, says another major concern for the residents was being completely out of the loop.
“We aren’t getting sufficient information," Bordner said. "Maybe we should take a survey of would be best for everyone and once or twice a year have a public meeting.”
On the other side, the students and faculty that came out to support the change were all on-board for the vacationing of the street.
“Lincoln has been a staple in this community for 140 years,” said Lincoln University’s President Dr. Kevin Rome. “We are not asking to shut off the campus but just to make it safer. We are willing to sit down and come up with a resolution because a decision has yet to be made."
After almost an hour of hearing both sides, the council moved to vacate Chestnut which will allow Lincoln University to start off by shutting it down while class is in session. But the university hopes to eventually transition to it being completely shut down.
