Once again, from the Woodland Heights Civic Association.
We would like to provide you with important updates regarding the road projects in our area.
Firstly, we are pleased to inform you that the construction of the 11th Street project is almost complete. However, the City is still working on fine-tuning the timing of the traffic signals. So far, the timing adjustments have only been made at Studewood, and they are still in the process of re-adjusting it. Furthermore, the City will soon commence traffic measurements on neighborhood streets to monitor any increase in cut-through traffic. You can stay updated on the latest developments and provide your valuable feedback by visiting the following link here.
Secondly, the City is preparing to gather public feedback on Phase 2 of the N. Main project. You can find detailed information and submit your feedback by visiting the provided link here. As you may recall, the City previously organized meetings for Phase 1, which extended from Cottage to Boundary (indicated in Blue on the attached picture). Phase 1 has now reached 100% design completion. Phase 2 (indicated in orange) covers the area from Cottage to Airline, where it will connect to a separate project being undertaken by Metro on Airline (indicated in purple). The City will be conducting a public meeting for Phase 2 in July, and we will inform you of the exact date once it is confirmed. They are particularly interested in receiving neighborhood feedback on two specific matters: pedestrian crossings and traffic diversions.
Regarding pedestrian crossings, the City plans to implement two similar crossings to those on Studewood and 11th Street at De George St. and Northwood. We would like to know your preferences regarding improved pedestrian crossings.
Additionally, the City proposes the inclusion of “traffic diversions” at certain intersections along N. Main, specifically at Cottage, Temple, and Melwood, where multiple streets converge. We are interested in any significant concerns you may have regarding the potential blocking of some vehicle traffic at these locations.
I first heard about this project a little over a year ago, before the West 11th Street construction began. The project page is here, and there’s an update from Public Works dated May 30 that you should review if you haven’t seen it already. The problems are real – traffic moves very fast, the weird angle of North Main makes vehicular intersections hard to navigate, there are very few places where I’d feel safe crossing the street as a pedestrian – and this seems like a solid plan to address them. Look for that public meeting and plan to attend if you have feedback.
As I’ve said before, the experience on West 11th has been very positive, as a bicyclist, pedestrian, and driver. I find it easier making left turns onto 11th now, from side streets in particular – not having four lanes of traffic coming at you really reduces the anxiety level. I don’t find it takes longer to get from Studewood to Shepherd for the most part. The one odd thing I’ve noticed is that the red light cycle on 11th at Studewood and Heights/Yale appears to be longer now than before, which makes crossing Studewood from non-controlled intersections a little more challenging. I don’t know what’s up with that, but perhaps it’s part of that fine-tuning mentioned in the article.
Finally, speaking of Shepherd, that construction project is making a lot of progress. Still has a couple of years to go, but I’m truly excited to see what it will all look like. Between all this and the White Oak Trail and the possible future projects, there’s just a lot more destinations that I feel safe biking to now. Being able to leave the car at home for all these trips makes me happy.
Last week, I rode on the bicycle lane that goes across downtown along Austin Street. It was nice, with curbs between the bicycles and cars, plus, there is a special signal for either the cars to turn right or the bicycles to go forward–because the bike lane is to the right–cars turning right need to cross the lane.
Kuff, you must be immune to the NextDoor outrage ! Props !
CL – Man, I haven’t read NextDoor in years. Life is too short, you know?