Item B: West 11th Transportation Corridor Study

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Drive-by businesses have been adversely affected by reconstruction projects that reduce their 25 visibility from the major road or cause them to have highly circuitous or inconvenient access. Therefore, businesses should have sufficient signage to inform patrons of any access changes. Access Management Strategies and Techniques There are several strategies and techniques that can be applied to improve access management on a roadway. Most of these include geometric design features, such as medians, median openings, auxiliary lanes, driveway design, and intersection channelization. Requirements on access location and spacing also need to be considered when implementing access management strategies. Access points introduce conflicts and friction into the traffic stream and with each new access point comes a higher potential for collisions. The added friction generally results in increased travel times and congestion. Access management plans can also include streetscape enhancements. These enhancements can improve pedestrian mobility and safety, develop visual gateways, signify the change from rural highway to urban roadway, and create a cohesive streetscape design. Streetscape features could include street trees placed within the highway right-of-way, landscaped medians, buffered sidewalks with landscaping and gateway signing. Roadway Characteristics Roadway function and classification should also be considered when determining how much access should be allowed. A roadway intended primarily to serve traffic movement (i.e., a major arterial) should have fewer access points and longer access spacing than a roadway with the primary function of providing th access (i.e., a local). Based on the City of Eugene Street Classification Map, West 11 Avenue is designated as a major arterial between Green Hill Road and Garfield Street, and a minor arterial east of th Garfield Street. In addition, West 11 Avenue west of Beltline Road is classified by ODOT as Statewide Highway and is a designated Freight Route. th Within the project limits, the West 11 Avenue cross-section varies. Between Green Hill Road and Terry th Street West 11 Avenue is a two-lane roadway (one-lane in each direction) with no sidewalks or bicycle lanes, and the posted speed limit is 55 miles per hour. Between Terry Street and Danebo Avenue, a raised, th planted median currently exists. Between Terry Street and Garfield Street, West 11 Avenue is a five-lane roadway (two lanes each direction with continuous left-turn lane) with sidewalks and a short segment of bicycle lanes. The posted speed limit is 45 mph between Terry Street and Beltline Road and 35 mph between Beltline Road and Garfield Street. On-street parking is not provided along any portion of West th 11 Avenue. Local Standards At this time, the City of Eugene does not have adopted access management standards. However, City staff are in the process of adopting access management strategies for private accesses on to public right-of- 24 Long, G, C.T. Gan, and B.S. Morrison. Impacts of Selected Median and Access Design Features, Florida Department of Transportation Report, Transportation Research Center, University of Florida, May 1993. 25 Safe Access is Good for Business, FHWA, Aug. 2006, www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/access_mgmt. th West 11 Avenue Corridor Study September 4, 2009 City of Eugene P07265-003-000 42