The Chattanooga Department of Transportation has launched a pilot program designed to help businesses increase capacity safely during COVID-19.
Streets as Places: Reimagining the Outdoors (SPROUTS) is a retail and restaurant recovery pilot program designed to help businesses, restaurants services and community agencies support social distancing inside and outside their buildings.
The City of Chattanooga and CDOT are offering three programs: Temporary Loading Zones, Curb Lane Pedestrian Zones and Outdoor Expansion Zones.
Temporary Loading Zones
The Chattanooga Department of Transportation and the Chattanooga Parking Authority have worked together to convert on-street parking spaces near restaurants to temporary loading zones to facilitate curbside meal pickup and delivery.
Curb Lane Pedestrian Zones
Curb Lane Pedestrian Zones allow for businesses to utilize the street parking in front of and near their shop for additional pedestrian traffic while patrons are waiting in line outside businesses.
Outdoor Expansion Zones
Outdoor Expansion Zones allows businesses to temporarily expand their business footprint onto the public right of way. Businesses cannot host events and gatherings in this space.
Applicants of the programs will be required to adhere to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and advice from public health experts by planning to manage social distancing for customers and employees both inside and outside their businesses.
In addition, staff should wear face coverings, maintain proper hand hygiene, keep surfaces and objects clean and find ways to limit contact between people.
There are no application fees associated with SPROUTS. Once an application is approved, the applicant will be sent an approval letter and a traffic control plan.
The traffic control plan will detail any traffic signs, barricades and other traffic control devices required to safely operate in the public right of way. It is the applicant’s responsibility to obtain, install and remove the various traffic control devices the plan requires.
Apply at connect.chattanooga.gov/sprouts.
Source: Chattanooga Department of Transportation