Today the Raleigh City Council approved a plan that will bring dramatic changes to Raleigh’s Western Blvd. Citing the need for better pedestrian safety between Western’s intersections with Dan Allen Drive and Avent Ferry Road, engineers have devised a plan to replace the westbound side of the divided boulevard with a stream (see attached rendering). Officials say the stream will contain many logs and turtles which will offer NCSU students a safer way to get to class.

One engineer told the council,”We found that students completely ignore crosswalks and street-crossing guidelines taught in kindergarten, so instead of inventing the wheel, we went with a tried and true model”.

Engineers say that the changes comprise one of two phases for the area. Phase II comes in Fall 2015, when the city will shut down Western Boulevard in both directions during the hours that any NCSU classes are in session.