1 Samish-Maple-Ellis Corridor Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety Improvements Bellingham City Council March 26, 2018
2009 Samish Way Urban Village Street Plans Multiple Plans Adopted by City Council 2009 Samish Way Urban Village Plan 2012 Citywide Pedestrian Master Plan 2014 Citywide Bicycle Master Plan Conflicting Recommendations for Samish Way Samish UV Plan: On-street parking both sides - 3-lanes + bike lanes + parking = 62-feet street width - Would require widening by 3-feet minimum each side Ped Plan: Additional, shorter crossings - 3 constructed (2011-12) Abbott, Consolidation, Newell - 4 th to be constructed at Otis in summer 2018 Bike Plan: Bike lanes & Further Study Needed - Samish-Maple-Ellis Corridor Study (2016-2017) - Proposed 5-to-3-lane road diet + buffered bike lanes 2
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Samish-Maple-Ellis Corridor Study 2016-2017 5
6 Who Are We Planning For? GOAL T-2 Provide safe, well-connected, and sustainable mobility options for all users. Policy T-5 Connect missing links within the Citywide multimodal transportation network for all modes of transportation, including pedestrian, bicycle, transit bus, freight trucks, and private automobiles. Policy T-6 Design multimodal transportation improvements on existing and new streets with the safety and mobility needs of all user groups considered and with priority emphasis placed on the most vulnerable user groups, as illustrated BALANCE: All mobility needs for all modes must be carefully considered, balanced, and implemented so that the citywide multimodal transportation system continues to work for everyone. Youth (WWU & school kids) Families Senior citizens Physically challenged Low-income Racial and Ethnic Diversity Urban Village infill development Bike Network Connectivity All Ages and Abilities
N. Samish Way Existing Conditions Bill McDonald to Lakeway Length = 0.77 (3/4) mile Five 11 vehicle lanes 56 feet curb to curb 5 sidewalks full length No bike facilities Pedestrian-activated amber flashing crosswalks at Abbott, Consolidation, and Newell (2011-2012) Posted 35 mph speed limit Traffic volumes vary from 13,000 to 15,000 vehicles per day 7
Bellingham Housing Authority Proposal 160 low-income and senior apartments + 11,000 SF BHA offices on former Aloha Motel site between Abbott and Otis Funding being sought 8
Corridor Segment 1 9
Corridor Segment 2 10
Corridor Segment 3 11
Alternative Bike Blvd & Possible New Crossing 12
13 Conceptual Layout New pedestrianactivated flashing amber crosswalk at Samish/Otis intersection Between Boomer s and future Bellingham Housing Authority Aloha Site (160 low-income & senior citizen apartments) Construction summer 2018
Corridor Segment 4 14
Corridor Segment 5a 15
Corridor Segment 5 Transition Area Buffered Bike Lane on East Side Helps Create Transition from 5-Lanes to 3- Lanes north of the Walgreen s Driveway Green Dashed Lines Across Driveways on Both Sides Alert Drivers to Presence of Bike Lane and Bicyclists Crossing (Ex. W. Maplewood & Alderwood) Solid Green Bike Lanes are used in the Midst of Vehicle Lanes to Alert Drivers to the Presence of Bicyclists and Dedicated Bike Space Bike Lanes Continued Through Intersections with Green Dashed Boxes 16
Corridor Segment 5b 17
What Has Happened So Far Samish-Maple-Ellis Corridor Study (Oct 2016 May 2017) Many Presentations to Community Groups Transportation Commission (April 11, 2017) Mayor s City Center Staff (May 2, 2017) Bellingham Housing Authority (May 5, 2017) Sehome Neighborhood Meeting (May 23, 2017) Samish-Maple-Ellis adopted in 2018-2023 TIP (June 5, 2017) Program & fund Otis/Maple crossing improvements for 2018 Local funds added to WSDOT Lakeway-Lincoln Ped-Bike Safety grant York Neighborhood Meeting (June 14, 2017 & March 14, 2018) Puget Neighborhood Meeting (February 20, 2018) 18
What Happens Next? 19 Began work with businesses at Otis/Maple and along Samish corridor Access, parking, and design issues (2017-2018) Refined Cost Estimates for Otis/Maple intersection (2017) $413,000 TIB Sidewalk grant secured for $250,000 to reconstruct Otis/Maple, install flashing crosswalk Refining Cost Estimates for Samish-Maple-Ellis corridor (2017-2018) Between $2,000,000 to $2,500,000, depending on what s included Identify possible transportation grant funding sources (2017-2018) Apply for WSDOT Ped-Bike Safety grant funding (May 2018) WSDOT Ranked Project List/Recommendation for Funding December 2018 IF funded by State legislature, then WSDOT notice of funding in May/June 2019 Reconstruct Otis/Maple intersection (Summer 2018) Curb extensions, driveway access, bike blvd crossing Install relocated Lakeway/Grant amber flashing crosswalk IF WSDOT ped-bike safety grant funding is secured in June 2019 PE/Design could occur autumn-winter 2019 THEN Construction could occur summer 2020
2018 Lakeway-Lincoln Improvements Upgrade 3 flashing amber crossings to red HAWK signals Lakeway/Grant Lakeway/Orleans Lincoln/Fred Meyer Shift north to align with WTA transit shelters and to provide space for future HAWKs on Lincoln Street (pending future grant funding) New HAWK signal on Lakeway - west side Undine intersection Consolidate/relocate WTA bus shelters to be at HAWK crossing New amber flashing crosswalk at Samish-Maple-Otis Supports future BHA redevelopment of former Aloha Motel site into 160 low-income apartments and 11,000 SF office space for BHA Bike lane on Puget Street and green bike box at Puget/Lakeway Bike lane on Lakeway Drive from Undine HAWK to Queen St Sidewalk on Orleans (west side) from Lakeway to Potter St Sidewalk on Nevada (east side) from Whatcom to Thimbleberry Nevada-Byron-40 th Bike Boulevard from Lakeway to Elwood Ave Includes physical traffic calming Grant-Humboldt-34 th Bike Boulevard from Meador to Bill McDonald Connects to bike lanes on Bill McDonald Pkwy 20
What is a HAWK signal? High Intensity Activated Crosswalk (Technically known as a Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon ) 21
Public Works Plan for Short-Term (2017-2021) and Long-Term (2021+) Connectivity of Pedestrian & Bicycle Facilities between Puget Neighborhood and Downtown Bellingham 22
For Questions or More Information Chris Comeau, AICP-CTP, Transportation Planner (360) 778-7946 or ccomeau@cob.org 23