Top FAQs from March 1

Based on community feedback in late March, we plan to advance immediately to the semi-final design stage. 

We will share semi-final plans with our community stakeholders in April 2023 and finalize the design based on this feedback by May 2023. 

Finally, we plan to implement it in June 2023, which would likely carry into July.

One of our key concerns was whether traffic might divert to local residential streets and other communities due to increased congestion and the potential reduction from two travel lanes to one. 

The analysis assumed that traffic would be less likely to divert if proper vehicular operations (i.e., an acceptable level of service and traffic delay) could be achieved through traffic signal timing adjustments and minor geometric improvements.

We used the pedestrian and bicycle volumes to understand non-motorized demand along 28th and 29th Streets. We will use this data to inform other traffic calming improvements in this community. 

While we hired a consultant to collect pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicle counts, our level of service analysis only encompassed vehicle operations.

Reducing gridlock helps prevent negative driving behaviors such as queue jumping and blocking the box, resulting in a more predictable and safer walking and biking experience. 

Providing the necessary turn lanes for intersection movements allows pedestrians and bikes to better understand the vehicles' intended trends in the intersection.

The addition of speed cameras requires a separate evaluation conducted by our Automated Enforcement Team. 

We are currently evaluating the feasibility of red light and speed enforcement at the Howard Street & 28th Street intersection.

A qualitative analysis of the previous six years of crash data revealed that many crashes were related to vehicles. 

Still, there were several pedestrian and bicycle crashes within the study corridor (less than 10) during the six years. 

Injury crashes tended to occur at intersections, and property damage crashes, while broadly dispersed, tended to occur mid-block.

While we cannot be sure how speeds may change east of Maryland Avenue, we will perform follow-up observations of the corridor and work to use strategies, such as traffic signal timing adjustments, to help manage speeds.

The timeline is a crucial concern for us. 

However, the need to evaluate traffic impacts and seek input from the greater community was a critical part of ensuring the feasibility of this project. 

Upon receiving public feedback, we intend to expedite the design process and are currently working with our contractor to plan for implementation. 

We are also “shoring up” the project administration to minimize administrative hurdles. 

Our goal is to start construction in early June.

We intend to rely on the BRNI grant to supplement the project funding but plan to provide most of the estimated project cost ourselves.

Our Maintenance Division will continue responding to concerns and performing maintenance on the Big Jump. 

We appreciate the 311 reports that we’ve gotten about this from residents and the cycling community, which have helped us respond to this issue.

Our analysis scope was limited due to the timeframe; however, we used the delay and level of service to gauge the impacts of potential congestion on aggressive behavior and cut-through traffic. 

These tend to be significant factors in creating conflicts with cyclists and pedestrians. 

We also collected pedestrian and cyclist volumes to understand non-motorized demand.

Per our Complete Streets, policy, a key consideration was given to non-motorized modes.

This is why both alternatives involve removing vehicular facilities (i.e., parking versus travel lane) while holding the provision of a bike facility constant.