DEMONSTRATION PROJECT
The Colchester Avenue Demonstration Project is part of the City's enhanced Street Paving Program and will be completed in 2011. The city is still taking public comments and will be collecting travel data in early spring 2011. After reviewing comments, data collection, and crash history, the city will determine if the final paving will include the existing 3-lane configuration (with some modifications to lane widths and stop bar locations) or return to the original 4-lane configuration.
Click here to comment, or call 863-9094.
The Demonstration Project will:
1.Prospect Street to Mansfield Avenue: Reduce through traffic to one lane and add a left turn lane to Mansfield Avenue.
2.Mansfield Avenue to Fletcher Allen entrance: Reduce through traffic to one lane and add a multipurpose turn lane.
3.Fletcher Allen entrance to Fletcher Place: reduce traffic to one lane in each direction and add a left turn lane to Fletcher Place
4.Fletcher Place to East Avenue: Reduce west bound travel to single lane.
5.Include width for a shoulder (possible future bike lane)
The Complete Streets concept is one that designs streets to enable safe access for all users. The Demonstration Project will help to determine if a "complete streets" configuration will increase safety and access for a variety of users of Colchester Avenue. This demonstration project has been planned with ongoing input from CCTA, CATMA (representing UVM, Fletcher Allen Hospital and the American Red Cross) and the Burlington Police and Fire Departments.
The project began on Tuesday, September 7, 2010 with the grinding and removal of approximately 3 inches of pavement between South Prospect Street and Nash Place. A base course of new pavement was laid, followed by temporay striping with the new lane configuration. The paving project continues from East Avenue to Nash place while the lane re-configuration ends at East Avenue. While the base course and temporary striping is in place, city staff, the CCMPO, and consultants will collect data and monitor traffic. We will compare before and after traffic queues, travel time, use by bicyclists, safety and intersection capacity measures.
POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF COMPLETE STREETS
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Vehicle Benefits:
- Wider travel lanes
- Reduced collisions and injuries by eliminating weaving between lanes
- Reduced conflict points
- Improved sight distance
- Improved access to/from side streets and driveways with fewer lanes to cross
- Opportunity for protected left-turn phases at intersections
- Improved efficiency for through lanes with a two-way left turn lane
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Benefits to All Users:
- Reduced vehicle speeds
- More mobility choices
- Safer pedestrian crossings with fewer lanes to cross
- Opportunity for pedestrian refuges and reduced crossing distances
- Improved conditions for on-street bicycling
- Improved walkability and livability
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CORRIDOR STUDY
In addition to the demonstration project, the city is partnering with other stakeholders in the development of a Colchester AVenue Corridor Study. The purpose of the Corridor Study is to expand on past corridor work (Colchester Avenue Task Force and Burlington's Transportation Plan) to identify existing and future transportation system deficiencies for all modes; further develop the future vision and goals for the corridor as identified in the Task Force final report; and develop a series of short-term and longer-term strategies that will assist the corridor vision and goals. The outcome of the study will be a system-wide approach that addresses all transportation issues and balances all modes in the corridor, including passenger and commercial vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles, and public transit.
View the Corridor Study website here.
Join us for the final public meeting:
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
7:00 - 9:00 pm
McClure Conference Room, Fletcher Allen Healthcare
COLCHESTER AVENUE PROJECT CONTACT
Nicole Losch
865.5833 phone
863.0466 fax
nlosch@ci.burlington.vt.us
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ONLINE
RESOURCES
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- Download the technical memorandum and monitoring results of the "complete streets" demonstration project
- Download the draft Corridor Plan
- Download the summary of data collection efforts from fall 2010 through winter 2011.
- Download the public comments received between the demonstration project's start and October 22, 2010.
- Watch or download the staff presentation summarizing the demonstration project from the October 20, 2010 Public Works Commission meeting.
- View the meeting minutes of the October 27, 2010 and January 19, 2011 Transportation, Energy and Utility Committee of the City Council
- Link to the traffic volume and queuing memo from Resource Systems Group.
- Link to the July 14, 2010 introductory Presentation to the Burlington Public Works Commission
- Link to Live at 5:25 with DPW Engineer Erin Demers
- Download a flyer to notify others!
- Link to the Colchester Avenue Corridor Study page at the Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization.
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