Project Updates

December 2023 - Concept Design Report and City Council Meeting

The Concept Design Report (CDR) has been developed and is available to view here or under our Materials and Documents page. 

The project team will be presenting the CDR to the City Council at the December 19, 2023 meeting. Staff will be asking Council to incorporate the recommendations from the study into the next Transportation System Plan update, and subsequent Capital Improvement Plans thereafter.

The meeting will be livestreamed on YouTube and meeting materials are available here. 

July 2023 - Concept Design Report Under Development

During the second round of public comments, we received additional feedback on the concepts developed. Below is an overview of what we heard:

  • We received strong supportive feedback for a sensor-based traffic signal with dedicated left turn phases at Cornell St.
  • We received feedback to not remove the southbound slip lane and add a southbound left into George Rogers Park. People acknowledge the need for a safer pedestrian crossing, ideally on the south side.
  • At the intersection of McVey Ave and Erickson Rd and Lake Front Rd, we heard that vehicle speeds are a concern at this location. There is a desire to remove parking near the intersection, improve visibility and bus stop amenities. There is also a desire for a crosswalk with flashing lights. Erikson is a major access point for the neighborhood - especially exiting northbound since left turns are not permitted on Hwy 43 at Oak St.
  • Speeding remains an issue along the corridor, especially among vehicles traveling in the southern segments of the study area, between Overlook Dr and South Shore Dr. These concerns are especially pronounced at the intersection of Bergis Rd and Stafford Rd, where students cross the road.
  • We received support for concepts that emphasized separation of bicycles and pedestrians from vehicle traffic. We received support for concepts that include a two-way bicycle facility next to a sidewalk as a shared-use path.

Next Steps 

The project team is processing all the feedback gathered in the second public comment phase and incorporating it into a final set of recommendations. The final recommendations will be compiled into a Concept Design Report, presented to the neighborhood associations, the City Council and the Transportation Advisory Board. It will then be determined if/when concepts can be added to the Transportation System Plan and incorporated into the Capital Improvement Plan to be funded and constructed in the future. 

March 30, 2023 - Online Open House Now Closed

Thank you for visiting our recent Online Open House and sharing your thoughts on preliminary concepts using the interactive map. The comment period is now closed, but you can click on the map to view comments. 

March 2023 - Opportunities for Involvement

In October, we received more than 325 comments from the public on our online mapping tool, identifying barriers and ideas for improvements. Based on the feedback we received, we’ve developed several concepts and alternatives for the corridor.

You are invited to comment on several design concepts for the corridor!

Virtual Presentation - March 6, 6-7:30 p.m.

To kick off the online open house, please join us for a virtual presentation to discuss design concepts and learn how to provide comments on the mapping tool.

Online Open House – March 6-27.

Share your thoughts on the design concepts using our interactive mapping tool!

Transportation Advisory Board Meeting – March 16, 7 p.m.

Attend in-person or virtually to learn about the design concepts and provide comments.

February 2023 - What We Heard and How We Developed Concepts

What we heard:

How the proposed concepts incorporate this feedback:
McVey is a major barrier for people trying to cross to get to George Rogers, Freepons Park, and Hallinan Elementary. Five additional enhanced pedestrian crossing concepts are proposed for the corridor.
Turning left or right out of any of the skewed intersections onto McVey is a major source of concern.  There are seven proposed traffic diverters and access restrictions or reconfigurations being considered to improve the predictability of certain turning movements and reduce the need for sharp-angle turns. Additionally, all concepts propose the installation of a traffic signal at Cornell with protected left turn phases. 
Poor sightlines (notably utility poles) make turns challenging for drivers, even more challenging for people walking and biking. The addition of sidewalks and separated bike facilities will increase visibility for all roadway users. Additionally, all proposed crossings could include flashing lights, such as a rectangular rapid flashing beacon (RRFB) and additional lighting could be added along the corridor in the future. 
There is a desire for pedestrian and biking options on both sides of the road. Each of the proposed concepts provide for pedestrian and biking facilities on both sides of the roadway, with the exception of very constrained scenarios where pedestrian and biking facilities are consolidated on the southbound side (uphill). 
People want sidewalks and safe bicycle facilities so they can walk and bike to the parks, downtown, and local amenities. People feel unsafe walking and biking so they drive. The proposed concepts include improved crosswalks at Highway 43 to support connections to downtown and George Rogers Park.
South bound right turns onto South Shore from McVey are often backed up due to drivers accessing businesses. 

The proposed concepts include improved crosswalks at Highway 43 to support connections to downtown and George Rogers Park.
Speeding is a major concern, as is vegetation clearance. Additional signage, roadway markings, and grade-separated walking and biking facilities are included in concepts for every segment. 
Turning onto Stafford from streets like Bergis on the S/SE side is a source of concern.

The 2017 Traffic Signal Warrant and Intersection Control Analysis report did not find that a signal was warranted at Stafford/Bergis until 2029. However, an enhanced pedestrian crossing is recommended as a shorter-term solution. Additionally, to improve turning off of Stafford, three additional left turn pockets are proposed between Sunny Hill Dr and Overlook Dr.
Crossing Stafford is a concern for pedestrians, especially students, walking to and from the10 High School. An additional pedestrian crossing is proposed at Bergis Rd. 

December 2022 - Summary Themes from First Round of Feedback

In October, we asked you to share your thoughts on barriers and ideas for improvements using our online mapping tool. Thanks to your input, we received more than 325 comments! Some key themes included:

  • McVey is a major barrier for people trying to cross to get to George Rogers, Freepons Park, and Hallinan Elementary.
  • Turning left or right out of any of the skewed intersections onto McVey is a major source of concern.
  • Poor sightlines (notably utility poles) make turns challenging for drivers, even more challenging for people walking and biking.
  • There is a desire for pedestrian and biking options on both sides of the road.
  • People want sidewalks and safe bicycle facilities so they can walk and bike to the parks,
  • downtown, and local amenities. People feel unsafe walking and biking so they drive.
  • Southbound right turns onto South Shore from McVey are often backed up due to drivers accessing businesses.
  • Speeding is a major concern, as is vegetation clearance.
  • Turning onto Stafford from streets like Bergis on the S/SE side is a source of concern.
  • Crossing Stafford is a concern for pedestrians, especially students, walking to and from the High School.

Our team is processing the comments and developing concepts to present to the Transportation Advisory Board at their meeting on January 19, 2023 at 7 p.m. Soon after, we’ll share the concepts developed and begin another round of feedback using the mapping tool!

November 7, 2022 - Next Steps

We received more than 325 comments during our recent online open house! Thank you to everyone for participating in this study and sharing your thoughts on barriers and ideas for improvements. Our team is now processing and analyzing all the comments that were received, and will be developing some concepts to then present to the Transportation Advisory Board and City Council in early 2023.

These concepts will also be shared at our next online open house in early 2023. Stay tuned for more information! 

October 31, 2022 - Online Open House Now Closed

Thank you for visiting our recent Online Open House and sharing your thoughts about how we can make it easier to access the corridor, using our interactive map. The comment period is now closed, but you can click on the map to view comments. 
 

To kick off the open house, on October 12, the project team hosted a virtual presentation to discuss preliminary findings and provide instructions on how to use the online mapping tool. Watch the video recording here.