Lawrence Avenue Streetscape Concepts August 30, 2011
Neighborhood Context
Phase II: River to Western Ave. Phase I: Western Ave. to Clark St. Key Map Lawrence Ave.
Existing Streetscape Conditions East of Western Ave.
Lawrence Avenue Existing Cross Section Western Ave. to Ashland Ave.
Lane reduction: 4-lane to 3-lane Conversion Wider sidewalks Designated bike lane Benefits all modes of transportation AASHTO Design guidelines no longer recommend urban four-lane roadways without medians and turning pockets. Why Lawrence Ave? Narrow sidewalks on both sides of the street High bicycle use that exceeds state recommendations for installation of a dedicated bike lane Strong public transit use via the CTA Brown Line, Metra North Line, and 6 bus routes on or intersecting Lawrence. Economic strength of Lincoln Square / Lincoln Ave Corridor Mid-scale commercial and institutional land uses Road Diet / Complete Streets Basics
Lawrence Avenue Proposed Cross Section East of Western Ave.
Wider Sidewalks for Cafes Improved Lighting Over 150 New Street Trees Community Identifiers Site Furniture Permeable Pavers Streetscape Improvements East of Western Ave.
Kiosk Gateway with Identifier Streetscape Elements: River to Damen
Pedestrian Refuge Islands oshorter crosswalk distance with 11 New pedestrian refuge areas created at center turn lane crosswalks. Bump outs Stamped Asphalt Crosswalks Storm Water Bumpouts Streetscape Improvements Pedestrian Improvements East of Western Ave.
N Key Plan Bump-outs Into Lawrence Side Street Bump-outs * Still to be determined which bump outs are planters or are hardscape Pedestrian Refuge Islands Streetscape Elements: East of Western Bump-Out Key Plan
Mid-Block Sidewalk Planters o41 planters located near catch basins to allow for infiltration planter design. oproposed between Western Ave. and Clark St. where sidewalk widths allow. o Maintenance Agreement will be required prior to construction Streetscape Improvements Mid-Block Planters
New Designated Bike Lane oadding 1 mile of designated bike lane (in each direction). ocompleting the 5 mile link from the Kennedy/Blue Line to east of Sheridan Rd (Elston to Central Park shared) and to Lakefront. Streetscape Improvements Designated Bike Lanes East of Western Ave.
Existing Streetscape Conditions East of Western Ave.
Proposed Streetscape Conditions East of Western Ave.
Impact of the Road Diet on the Lawrence Corridor Increased motorist delay while traveling the Lawrence Corridor Depending on the time of day, travel times between Ashland Ave. and Western Ave. may increase by 3-9 mins. Current travel times for westbound evening rush hour: Western Ave. to Kedzie Ave. - 5:65 Ashland Ave. to Western Ave. 3:52 Increased motorist delay in turning off/onto Lawrence Ave and crossing Lawrence Ave. Queue Lengths will increase at traffic signals, with the heaviest at PM westbound rush hour. During peak hours, traffic will backup through side streets. Increased potential of cut-through traffic by cars and delivery vans. Traffic calming elements (speed humps) exist on numerous side streets. Corridor Impacts
Streetscape Changes to Mitigate Negative Impacts of the Road Diet Traffic signal timings will be adjusted to provide greater efficiency for through-traffic on Lawrence Ave. All signals 85 seconds Ped crossings between 3.5-4 ft/second A center turn lane is being provided so that turning cars do not interrupt the flow through traffic and to facilitate cars turning onto Lawrence. Corridor Impacts
Streetscape Changes to Mitigate Negative Impacts of the Road Diet Pedestrian refuge islands will increase safety for pedestrians crossing at non-signalized intersections Bump-Outs on side streets will reduce cut-through traffic onto side streets Corridor Impacts
Key Plan N Existing Traffic calming element (Speed Bump) Streetscape Elements: Western to Ashland Traffic Calm Key Plan
Streetscape Changes to Mitigate Negative Impacts of the Road Diet Buses are still able to pull over at stops in order to allow through-traffic to pass The major intersections of Western Ave., Damen Ave., and Ashland Ave will maintain 4-lane cross sections Corridor Impacts
Traffic flow expected to remain about the same by: Making right turn bays into rightthru lanes (8 parking stalls lost). Increased length of left turn storage bays. Addition of left turn signals. Pavement marking changes only; no curb line adjustments. Major Intersection- Ashland Ave.
Traffic flow expected to remain about the same by: Making right turn bays into shared rightthrough lanes (11 parking stalls lost). Increased length of left turn storage bays on Lawrence by 90 ft. Addition of left turn signals for eastbound and westbound traffic on Lawrence. Adjustment to traffic signal timing to allow for longer greens on Lawrence. Enlargement of Intersection at Damen Ave.
Traffic flow expected to remain the same by: Making right turn bays into shared rightthrough lanes (11 parking stalls lost). Increased length of left turn storage bays on Western by 200 ft on the south leg and 20 ft on the north leg. Major Intersection- Western Ave.
Claremont Plaza - Area Context
Concept A
Phase II: River to Western Ave. Phase I: Western Ave. to Clark St. Key Map Lawrence Ave.
Existing Streetscape Conditions West of Western Ave.
Lawrence Avenue Existing Cross Section West of Western Ave.
Lawrence Avenue Proposed Cross Section West of Western Ave.
Wider Sidewalks for Cafes Improved Lighting Over 100 New Street Trees Community Identifiers Site Furniture Permeable Pavers Streetscape Improvements East of Western Ave.
ADA Compliant Crosswalks Stamped Asphalt Crosswalk o Shorter pedestrian crossing distances o Larger buffer zone for pedestrians Streetscape Improvements Pedestrian Improvements
Bump-outs o Shorter pedestrian crossing distances o Larger buffer zone for pedestrians o Area for plantings Streetscape Elements: Bump-outs
Storm Water Bump-outs o Collect storm water runoff onative Grass plantings provide multi season interest Streetscape Elements: Storm Water Bump-outs
Key Plan N Bump-outs Into Lawrence Side Street Bump-outs Still to be determined which bump outs are planters or are hardscape Streetscape Elements: Bump-out Key Plan
Kiosk Gateway with Identifier Streetscape Elements: River to Damen
Existing Streetscape Conditions West of Western Ave.
Proposed Streetscape Conditions West of Western Ave.
Lawrence Avenue Streetscape Concepts THANK YOU