CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Approve the 2020 and 2021 Annual New Sidewalk Program.
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: Kelly Dunne, Project Engineer
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
On October 3, 2019, the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) recommended approval of the 2020 and 20201 Annual New Sidewalk Program, (Approved 7-0)
BACKGROUND:
The New Sidewalk Program was established in 2004 following the adoption of the Comprehensive Sidewalk Policy, a guiding document that defines the policies and programs for implementation of the pedestrian component of Naperville’s Comprehensive Transportation Plan. The New Sidewalk Program annually installs new public sidewalk in locations that are lacking sidewalk along the roadway (sidewalk gaps). To date, the program has installed 13 miles of sidewalk in 111 gap locations.
Gap locations are prioritized using a scoring system that takes into account numerous factors such as roadway classification, proximity to schools, connectivity to the existing sidewalk network, presence of sidewalk on the opposite side of the roadway, and constructability. The highest scoring sidewalk gaps are selected as top candidate locations for construction. Each year, the proposed locations are reviewed by the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) and City Council for approval.
As the program progressed, its success started to become an obstacle. Nearly every top scoring gap location has been filled. Of the remaining gap locations, the original scoring criteria fails to distinguish top candidates because dozens of locations score equally. The scoring criteria originally created for the New Sidewalk Program was no longer able to effectively prioritize the remaining locations.
On August 1, 2019, staff presented a revised selection process to TAB for approval. To help differentiate non-arterial gap locations, a filter will be added to the process. During consideration of the 2018 New Sidewalk Program, City Council expressed support for locations that are beneficial to students and locations that are within the City’s corporate boundaries. Therefore, a filtered approach that first removes sidewalk gaps that are not located along a school walk route and not within the City’s jurisdiction is applied to non-arterial gaps. These Neighborhood gaps are then scored using the existing scoring system.
Additionally, to provide greater opportunity for resident input, property owners who live along high-scoring gap locations will be surveyed in advance of those locations being proposed to TAB. Locations with a high level of opposition will be removed from near-term consideration, and locations with the highest levels of support will receive priority for near-term sidewalk installation.
Modifications were also made to the selection of gaps along arterial roadways to account for improved pedestrian safety and connectivity. Sidewalk gaps located along high volume and high-speed roadways will be prioritized over lower speed, lower volume roadways.
DISCUSSION:
In preparation for the upcoming Annual New Sidewalk Program, City staff identified 27 Neighborhood gaps (locations that are along school walk routes and within the City’s jurisdiction) that scored the highest based on the prioritization factors. Surveys were mailed to all 183 properties along the Neighborhood gap segments, requesting that property owners provide a response expressing either their support or opposition for sidewalk to be constructed along the proposed location. The revised selection process ranked the locations by percentage of resident support, discounted locations opposed by two-thirds of the adjacent properties, and considered non-responses as support in order to break a tie. Notification letters were then sent to the properties located along the 13 remaining locations, informing residents that their block is under consideration for near-term sidewalk installation and inviting them to attend the upcoming TAB meeting to provide additional feedback.
Staff also identified three arterial gap locations that fall into the high-priority category which is defined as a posted speed limit of 40 mph or greater and an Average Daily Traffic (ADT) of 20,000 vehicles per day or greater. Staff finds that these locations provide beneficial pedestrian links to generators such as parks, transit, retail, and other key pedestrian destinations, as well as improving pedestrian safety. Notification letters were sent to the properties located along these locations, informing property owners that this gap segment was under consideration for near-term sidewalk installation and inviting them to attend the upcoming TAB meeting to provide feedback. Staff received feedback from one adjacent property in support of the Washington Street gap, and no feedback expressing opposition to any of these locations.
Transportation Advisory Board
On the October 3, 2019 TAB meeting, staff presented the Neighborhood gap locations and the Arterial gap locations. Based on annual funding and taking into account property owner support, staff proposed locations for a 2020 program and a 2021 program, as well as contingency locations. The estimated cost for these 16 locations is $595,140. The attached maps show the locations under consideration, with percentage of property owner support for the Neighborhood gaps.
Eight residents provided testimony and other members of the public provided input via email. Three of the eight residents spoke in support of the Washington Street gap, citing safety concerns, the current barrier to pedestrian travel, and the benefit this gap would provide to the businesses on the west side of Washington Street. Four residents spoke in support of the Sleight Street gap between Highland Avenue and Porter Avenue, expressing concerns that the lack of sidewalk makes it unsafe for children and pedestrians given the traffic on Sleight Street. One resident provided general comment on the New Sidewalk Program.
Public commented received through email included 16 property owners expressing support for the Washington Street gap, one resident expressing opposition to the Sleight Street gap between Highland Avenue and Porter Avenue, one resident expressing support for the Sleight Street gap between Highland Avenue and Porter Avenue, two residents expressing support for the Wehrli Drive gap, one resident providing general comment on the New Sidewalk Program, and one resident expressing support for the Porter Avenue gap. The meeting minutes and resident feedback are attached.
Based on the priority system of the Comprehensive Sidewalk Policy, the revised selection process, and incorporating the public input received, the 2020 and 2021 Annual New Sidewalk Program recommendation was determined by TAB. The contingency locations are the gap segments that received the lowest levels of resident support, but can be included for construction in the event of favorable bid prices. The attached maps depict which construction year each segment is planned for.
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2020 Program |
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Washington St from Gartner Rd to Pioneer Park - East |
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Sleight St from Ogden Av to Dead End - East |
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Eagle St from 13th Av to 14th Av - East |
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Porter Av from Julian St to White Oak Dr - North |
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Wehrli Dr from Hillside Rd to Wright St - East |
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Willow Rd from Hillside Rd to Maple Ln - West |
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Sleight St from Highland Av to Porter Av - West |
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Webster St from Ogden Av to 10th Av - West |
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2021 Program |
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Book Rd from Douglas Rd to Leverenz Rd - East |
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Aurora Av from Route 59 to Westridge Ct - South |
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Wellner Rd from Loomis St to View Ct - East |
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Wellner Rd from View Ct to Sleight St - East |
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Sleight St from Prairie Av to Hillside Rd - West |
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Contingency Locations |
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Webster St from 10th Av to 11th Av - East |
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Benton Av from Fremont St to West St - North |
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Cottage Av from Fremont St to West St - South |
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Annual Sidewalk Program has traditionally been programmed at $300,000 per year. Consistent with past funding levels, the proposed Calendar Year 2020-2024 Capital Improvement Program includes $300,000 for the Annual New Sidewalk Program in CY20 and $300,000 in CY21.