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HomeMy WebLinkAbout6STMinutes_2016_07_216th Street Design Ad Hoc Committee July 21, 2016 Minutes A meeting of the 6th Street Design Ad Hoc Committee was held on Thursday, July 21, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. in the Brookings City and County Government Center. Members present: Matthew Weiss, John Howard, Shayn Damm, Skip Webster, Gregg Jorgensen, and Joanie Holm were in attendance. Jamison Lamp participated via phone. Jackie Lanning - City Engineer, Shari Thornes - City Clerk, and Brandon Riss - SDDOT were also in attendance. Jorgensen called the meeting to order at 11:00 a.m. Approval of the Agenda. A motion was made by Howard, seconded by Lamp to approve the agenda with the addition of Item #2a – Approval of the July 7, 2016 minutes. All present voted yes; motion carried. Approval of the Minutes. A motion was made by Howard, seconded by Webster to approve the July 7, 2016 minutes. All present voted yes; motion carried. Discussion on 5-lane street design. Jorgensen reminded everyone of the options that SDDOT made available at the last meeting. Option 1: 5-11ft lanes with a 2ft gutter pan and no shoulder OR Option 2: 5-11ft lanes with a 3 ft. shoulder and 2ft gutter pans. Riss described the 5 lane with 14’ outside lanes would allow room for bikes. Riss stated that the outside shoulder and the gutter pan would be poured together so there would not be joint where the lip of the curb and gutter usually is. Riss also reminded the group that the boulevard width would taper from the west end of 6th Street near Main Avenue, where there is approximately 93 feet of right-of-way to the east end, where there is approximately 80 feet of right-of-way. He stated that would result in the sidewalk being adjacent to the back of curb between 9th Avenue and Medary Avenue. Weiss inquired if there would be enough right-of-way to construct the whole project. Riss stated they would possibly need to purchase of a small amount of right-of-way at the Medary Avenue and 6th Street intersection to allow for the sufficient sidewalk width and to allow for 2 ADA curb ramps, 1 in each direction. Weiss inquired about the tree removal that would be required with either option. Riss stated that the 5 lane with 14ft outside lanes would require removal of nearly all the trees. However, the 5-11ft lane design was still going to require removal of several or nearly all of the trees. Weiss also asked about the speed limit that would be set on this section of 6th Street. Riss explained that the DOT will perform a “speed study” after the project is complete to determine the speed limit. Howard asked Riss about the timeline of the project, and when would the 6th Street committee need to make a decision on the lane widths. Riss replied it is really important to make this decision this month to refrain from any delays in the construction project. Riss inquired as to what the recommendation statement from the bicycle committee was referring to for “protected bike lanes.” Lanning and Holm both stated there are different types of options for protected bike lanes. The committee discussed whether that meant a painted/striped lane for the bikes would work or if there would need to be a barrier between the motorized vehicle lane and bike lane. Riss informed the committee of a project that the City of Sioux Falls was currently incorporating in a portion of town that would consist of a bike lane being up above the curb and would be adjacent to the sidewalk. He stated that option was still under debate as they were unsure how the ADA ramps would work with a design like that. Damm inquired about the bike lane being marked differently, such as a colored lane similar to what is used in downtown Minneapolis. Riss wasn’t aware of any cities in SD using that option. He also reminded everyone that the bike lane identifications would need to be decided and paid for by the City. The question was also discussed as to how the bike lane would be marked on 6th Street, east of Medary Avenue, to indicate that the bike lane would be ending. Riss stated he was aware of the transition issue and would continue to work on a solution. Webster stated he was very concerned about the bike lane being on the outside lanes of 6th Street. He stated he felt that was not a safe route for families and children. Webster indicated he would rather see a 5ft strip up above the curb by the sidewalk. Howard agreed with Webster and his safety concerns. Howard also asked what the benefit was to have bike lanes only from Main Ave to Medary Avenue. Holm and Lamp stated that having bikes lanes in just a 6 block area was a concern, and if the rest of the town didn’t have designated bike lanes like 6th Street, it could become confusing for bicyclists. They both stated that the additional width adding to the sidewalk would be a safer route. Shari Thornes, City Clerk, stated that the bike committee is very concerned about this section of town leading to Medary Avenue and the campus area. She indicated that often towns have to piece-meal a project like this and then future projects would be incorporated to match the project. Damm wondered if a right turn lane turning south could be part of the plan at 6th Street and Medary Avenue. Riss recalled a study being done and showed that a right turn lane wasn’t warranted going south. However, he was willing to look into it further and discuss with DOT staff. Damm concluded that he felt the committee needed to look into the future when making their decision, and having a consistent lane width through town needed to be considered. Holm agreed with Damm in the consistency of the lanes throughout town and since the section from Main Avenue to Western Ave had the 14ft outside lanes, they should continue with that width. Holm and Lamp also stated that the bike lane needed to be painted or stained to clearly identify it. Additionally, the bike lanes on the pavement would add additional consistency with the current bike lanes on other streets like 8th Street South. Holm asked if the timeline for the committee’s decision could be delayed until after the Bicycle Committee had their Public Meeting in September. She was concerned that a decision could be made that wouldn’t concur with what the citizens would like to see. Riss agreed with her thoughts and was going to discuss the issue with SDDOT staff and would report back to Lanning. Next Scheduled Meeting. Thornes stated that the Bicycle Committee would be having a conference call with a consultant that they are working with. The meeting would be held July 22nd and Lanning was also going to attend. Following the conference call, Lanning agreed to contact Riss and the committee members to determine the next meeting for the 6th Street Committee. Meeting adjourned at 12:15 pm.