WEC Analysis Committee/Two-Way Alternative Route Scenario
From Eugene Neighbors
Contents |
[edit] Summary
This scenario involves creating a two-way alternative route to the portion of West 11th between between Bailey Hill Road and Garfield Street, intended for through traffic.
The main east-west alternative route consists of "a combination of 5th Avenue and 7th Place", with Bailey Hill Road as a north-south connector. Many of the pros and cons are similar for various related two-way alternative route approaches, including using West 7th Place for both directions of travel, which was the version most discussed in the Analysis Committee.
In tandem with the implementation of the alternative route, West 11th would be redesigned from from Garfield to Bailey Hill Road as a more urban street, more conducive to mixed use development than the existing design of West 11th. The urban street approach to West 11th would likely add congestion to W11th, and would only succeed if substantial traffic relief were actually provided by the alternative route.
[edit] Description
The alternative route uses 5th Avenue as the primary westbound street and 7th Place as the eastbound street. A suite of traffic operations improvements would be implemented to help traffic flow more smoothly along these streets. The existing street cross sections would stay much the same.
The traffic operations improvements entail signalizing one or two additional intersections on 7th Place, converting the remaining 4-way stops on 7th to two-way stops, and constructing a roundabout or traffic signal at 5th and Seneca. Improvements to the intersections of W. 11th/Bailey Hill, 5th/Hwy99, and 7th Place/Hwy 99 should also be considered to facilitate traffic flow to the alternative route.
The redesign of 11th Avenue could use the cross-section illustrated: wide sidewalks, on-street parallel parking, two travel lanes in each direction, continuous landscaped center median with left-turn pockets. The on-street parking and wider sidewalks could be phased in with redevelopment.
Design options could include adding bike lanes and substituting one travel lane in each direction with a BRT lane. How compatible the BRT lane would be with existing turning movements (frequent curb cuts) has not been determined.
Note that Roosevelt Avenue already exists as a complete two-way alternative route, somewhat farther north, to the portion of West 11th between between Beltline Highway and Garfield Street.
[edit] Sketches
[edit] Map
[edit] Street Section
[edit] Time Table
Operational changes to 5th Avenue and 7th Place could probably be implemented in the short term. Changes requiring additional right-of-way, such as a roundabout or adding dedicated transit lanes, may be more complex. Changes to W. 11th could be made as part of a long-term implementation strategy.
[edit] Cost Table
In an exploration of relative costs of several street options involving West 11th from Garfield to Beltline as a multiway boulevard, as a hybrid street supplemented by an alternative route for the half from Garfield to Bailey Hill, or as an improved urban arterial supplemented by an alternative route for the half from Garfield to Bailey Hill - which drew extensively on construction engineering experience in the Analysis Committee, together with local professional sources for data - the overriding design factor that differentiated total relative costs including both construction and land acquisition, was the inclusion of transit lanes.
In other words, the total relative cost, in terms of an index value per lineal foot of street improvement, was broadly similar for each street design approach without dedicated transit lanes, and was similar for each street approach with dedicated transit lanes.
The total relative cost, in terms of an index value per lineal foot of street improvement, seems to be about twice as much for a complete project, involving dedicated transit lanes, as for a basic project, without transit lanes.
The scenarios studied did not include alternative routes for which additional length of street right-of-way would have to be acquired, in addition to any right-of-way width acquisitions. The total relative cost for alternative routes scenarios requiring length of street right-of-way acquisitions could be significantly greater.
[edit] Discussion
In several fundamental ways, West 11th can be considered the central main street for West Eugene, although its current urban design character doesn't support that calling very well. The ODOT Main Street Handbook provides some specific comments regarding the creation of parallel alternative routes, and bypasses, for busy main streets.
The handbook gives some relevant advice in the context of creating secondary routes (p36):
"Look for these potential characteristics in a parallel route:
- Minimal out-of-direction travel; travel time should be faster, or at least no slower, than the main street.
- Few interruptions (stop signs, active railroads, etc.).
- Good intersections where the parallel route leaves and rejoins the highway.
- Adequate width, geometry and structure for the anticipated traffic.
- Suitable adjacent land uses."
Other relevant points are made in the context of bypasses (p37):
"The idea of a bypass often comes up in discussions where there is heavy traffic on main street. It’s often seen as the one big solution to get through traffic out of downtown. However, in many cases traffic studies have shown that most of the trips on main street are local and may not be attracted to a bypass.
"In the right circumstances and if prop- erly designed, a bypass can help divert some traffic, but it is not a cure-all and experience shows that bypasses have mixed results.
"...If [a bypass is] approved, people often think the problem will be solved and they don’t need to support other improvements to [the] main street.
"Also, if a bypass removes too much traffic, the economic vitality of the main street can suffer. The long-term tendency is for commercial land development to occur where there is the most traffic...
"For most transportation problems, common sense tells us that we choose the simplest and most economical solution rather than the most complex and expensive. Approach the issue of bypasses with great caution. Consider them only when all other solutions have been tried and failed..."
[edit] Pros and Cons
- A. Improve efficiency of transportation network
- Pros
- Signal improvements to 5th and 7th could be implemented relatively quickly and could address existing congestion on 11th.
- Changes to 11th can be phased in over time.
- Provides an alternative to W. 11th that could serve the needs of drivers who are going through the area
- Cons
- The addition of on-street parallel parking on West 11th could significantly increase congestion.
- Intersection crossings for pedestrians would be little changed from existing conditions and could be even wider if bike lanes are installed
- Existing lanes on 7th may not provide sufficient traffic capacity to provide net traffic flow improvements, once additional turning actions required for accessing alternative route are analyzed.
- Trucks going into and out of loading bays on 5th and 7th could interfere with through traffic.
- The design shown for West 11th with a continuous median would block direct access to driveways on the opposite side of the street, requiring U-turns at intersections to access them. However, the intersection designs may not be sufficient to provide for safe and legal U-turns.
- The alternative route only addresses half the length of West 11th between Garfield and Beltline.
- It is hard to predict what percentage of traffic would opt to use this alternative route.
- Pros
- B. Increase public transit
- Pros
- Dedicated transit lanes could be included.
- Cons
- Without an effective strategy to greatly reduce curbs cuts, dedicated transit lanes in this scenario could be significantly reduced in effectiveness for transit.
- Pros
- C. Enhance pedestrian and bikeways
- Pros
- Incorporates key elements of successful urban streets on West 11th: on-street parking and improved sidewalks
- Cons
- Without an effective strategy to greatly reduce curbs cuts, this approach is limited in its ability to create a highly-usable pedestrian and bicycle realm.
- Pros
- D. Intensify development appropriately
- Pros
- Upgrading West 11th to a more attractive urban arterial streetscape could contribute to a gradual upgrade of properties along the street.
- Cons
- This level of redesign of West 11th may not be sufficient to create a supportive environment for mixed-use, transit-oriented development.
- With little basis for general upzoning along 5th and 7th, public investment in alternative route construction would be repaid via increased tax base slowly if ever.
- Addition of traffic to the industrial areas along 5th and 7th will tend to increase pressure for commercial conversions, threatening the working character of the area.
- To the extent that the alternative route captures traffic from West 11th, it is likely to incrementally reduce the commercial value of locations along West 11th. This could slow the pace of beneficial redevelopment and reduce the potential for repayment of the public investment in West 11th improvements via increased tax base.
- Pros
- E. Relocate some land uses
- Pros
- This approach is likely to drive relatively modest land use redistributions. As such, it may be positive for property owners already invested in status-quo growth scenarios across West Eugene.
- Cons
- With the relatively low capacity of this approach to support big density increases, opportunities for beneficial land use relocations may be limited.
- Without capacity for land use relocations, alternatives are not created to current growth plans that will tend to increase West 11th traffic loading.
- Pros
- F. Enhance open space/natural resources
- Pros
- Cons
- Adding substantial traffic on routes through or alongside already-protected natural resource areas will tend to degrade their value, and worsen overall impacts on sensitive species and habitats.
- Pros
- G. Enhance natural watershed
- Pros
- Cons
- Dispersion of motor vehicle traffic across a wider area of West Eugene, through increased and additional alternative routes, without significant strategies to mitigate their impacts, is likely to worsen overall impacts on wetlands and waterways, compared to a strategy that includes impact mitigations or enhancements.
- Pros
- H. Enhance appreciation and connections to natural resources
- Pros
- Cons
- Adding substantial traffic on routes through or alongside already-protected natural resource areas will tend to degrade recreational and educational experiences in those areas.
- Pros
[edit] References
- ODOT Main Street Handbook (PDF)
