TO: Honorable Mayor & Members of the North Port Commission
FROM: Peter D. Lear, CPA, CGMA, Interim City Manager
TITLE: Update on the Price Boulevard Widening Project
Recommended Action
Approve Typical Roadway Cross Section Price Boulevard Phase 1 Widening Project.
Background Information
The Price Boulevard Widening Project was presented at a City Commission Workshop on April 15, 2014, reference Attachment Number 1. City Commission consensus was to proceed with the design of a four-lane roadway between Sumter Boulevard and Toledo Blade Boulevard within the existing right of way. This became the Price Boulevard Phase 1 Widening Project. It should be noted that the widening of Price Boulevard was originally presented at a City Commission Workshop on March 30, 2009. However, there was no progress on the Price Boulevard Widening Project until 2014. This was attributed to a decline in the economy between 2009 and 2014. In addition, available funding was directed toward the completion of the Sumter Boulevard Phase III Widening.
An agreement with Charlotte Engineering and Surveying, Inc. was executed on September 28, 2015, for the design and permitting of the Price Boulevard Phase I Widening Project. After initial surveying and data collection, an overlay of the proposed four lane road onto an aerial map with three variations of a typical roadway cross-section were presented at a public meeting on January 21, 2016, reference Attachment Number 2. Upon reviewing comments received from the public meeting, staff presented a recommended typical cross-section to the City Commission at their April 26, 2016, meeting, reference Attachment Numbers 3 and 4. Discussion focused on the following:
• The proposed posted 35 miles per hour (mph) speed limit of the widened roadway versus the existing posted 45 mph posted speed limit.
• Reduced four feet wide bicycle lanes versus the five feet minimum width required in the Unified Land Development Code (ULDC), for which a variance would be needed by the City Commission, reference Attachment Number 5.
• Reduced sidewalk width of five feet versus the eight feet minimum width required in the ULDC.
• Restricted access to adjacent properties by the raised center median.
• Cost difference between a four-lane road within the existing 100 feet right-of-way width and within a 120 feet wide right of way, per the minimum needed for an urban cross section (curb and gutter) arterial roadway per the ULDC.
City Commission directed staff to obtain more public input on the project before presenting a recommended typical roadway cross-section to the City Commission. Public meetings on November 16, 2016, November 19, 2016, and November 30, 2016, were held to encourage public comments, which are collected, reference Attachment Number 6. Comments received through social media were collated as well, reference Attachment Number 7. The predominant issues of the proposed roadway are as follows:
• Posted Speed Limit - Comments included lowering the posted speed limit from the current 45 mph to increasing the posted speed limit from the proposed 35 mph. Reasons for lowering the posted speed limit to 35 mph are due to the change from the existing rural two lane/two direction roadway to an urban four lane divided roadway with reduced lane width from twelve feet (existing) to eleven
feet (proposed) and the number of conflict points which include residential driveways. If the proposed 35 mph posted speed limit appears to be unreasonable, a speed study can be conducted to determine if an adjustment is necessary.
• Bicycle Lanes - There are no dedicated bicycle lanes along the present two lane roadway.
v Pros
§ Dedicated bicycle lanes provide safe separation between cyclists traveling at higher rates of speed than the casual bicyclists or pedestrians and between cyclists and motorists sharing the roadway.
§ Bicycle lanes promote an alternative mode of transportation and comply with the intent of a multi-modal corridor.
§ Bicycle lanes will facilitate U-turns by increasing the turning radius for vehicles.
§ Bicycle lanes comply with the ULDC.
v Cons
• Bicycle lanes compete with sidewalks for space within the existing 100 foot wide right of way.
• Sidewalks - There is currently one 8 foot wide sidewalk on the north side of the road.
v Pros
§ Sidewalks on both sides of the road more safely accommodate pedestrians and casual bicyclists.
§ Sidewalks provide an alternative mode of transportation and comply with the intent of a multi-modal corridor.
§ Sidewalks along both sides of arterial and collector roadways complies with the ULDC.
v Cons
§ The narrower 5 feet sidewalk width versus the ULDC minimum 8 feet sidewalk width will not as easily or safely accommodate bicyclists or pedestrians in opposing directions.
• Shared Use Path - Some comments received suggested a shared use path in lieu of separate bicycle lanes and sidewalks.
v Pros
§ Wider paths encourage multiple uses in contrast to narrower restricted uses.
§ Improves safety/increases separation between different modes of users.
v Cons
§ Shared use path will narrow the available turning radius for U-turns by motorists with removal of the bicycle lane.
§ Cyclists wishing to travel at a higher rate of speed will not be accommodated with the shared path.
• Access to abutting residential properties - Currently motorists can enter and exit driveways in either direction. The raised center median will restrict access such that a U-turn will likely be needed in one direction of travel to, or from, an abutting property.
v Pros
§ Traffic on the roadway continues to increase with development. Currently the City is approximately 26% developed (excluding the West Villages). The widened roadway will provide better access than the current two lane roadway. Mail delivery and solid waste collection will not block traffic in one direction as they do now and will improve safety for these service providers and motorists.
§ Emergency Services will have improved response time as traffic can move to one of the two lanes in either direction.
§ Motorists leaving a driveway along the widened roadway can concentrate on traffic in one direction only.
v Cons
§ Driveways will be shortened as the widened roadway will use more of the right-of-way width. Vehicles will not have the room to turn around before entering the travel lanes and usable driveway areas will be reduced.
§ Services, particularly those such as lawn maintenance that have trailers will not be able to park alongside the roadway as they do now.
§ U-turns in one direction will be normally be needed by residents and visitors to those residences.
• Center Median - Reduce the width to move travel lanes further away from the residences or replace the raised median with a center dual left turn lane to improve accessibility to abutting properties.
v Pros
§ Reducing the width of the center median would move traffic further away from residences and lengthen driveways.
§ More easily accommodate wider sidewalks and bicycle lanes within the existing right of way.
§ Provide more area to locate utilities under vegetated surfaces rather than hardened surfaces.
§ A center dual left turn lane would provide unrestricted access to abutting properties.
v Cons
§ Reduced width of raised center median would restrict U-turn movements for access to properties along the project limits.
§ Reduced center median would limit landscaping options and increase conflicts between underground utilities and roadway lighting proposed to be located in the median.
§ A dual left center turn lane will increase the risk of accidents.
§ A dual left center turn lane will encourage drivers to cross two travel lanes and use the center turn lane to merge into traffic, which will increase the risk of accidents.
§ A dual left center turn lane will increase the difficulty to provide roadway lighting, considering the existing overhead power lines along the northerly right of way limits.
§ A dual left center turn lane will eliminate the opportunity for landscaping between the east-bound and west-bound travel lanes.
• Right of Way Width - Increase the width of the Price Boulevard right of way in compliance with the ULDC and acquire property on one side of the roadway.
v Pros
§ Improve accessibility to property on the opposite side of the road.
§ Provide more room for parking at property on the opposite side of the road.
§ Provide a minimum width of eight feet for sidewalks on both sides of the roadway, in compliance with the ULDC.
§ Provide wider bicycle lanes adjacent to the travel lanes, improving safety for cyclists, consistent with FDOT guidelines and in compliance with the ULDC.
§ Provide adequate right-of-way width for an arterial roadway in compliance with the ULDC.
v Cons
§ Delay to the widening project to acquire the property.
§ Would necessitate an amount of redesign by the project Consultant; as well as, a reallocation of Consultant and sub-consultant resources to other projects, if possible, and/or overhead expenses.
§ Unfunded expense of acquisition of property and costs to design and construct an access road along the parcels on the opposite side of the roadway.
Staff met with Fire Chief William Taaffe and Assistance Police Chief Michael Pelfrey to discuss the present Price Boulevard conditions and emergency response and the proposed Price Boulevard improvements and emergency response. The following provides Chief Taaffe’s comments, reference Attachment Number 8 and Assistant Chief Pelfrey’s comments, reference Attachment Number 9 pertaining to the present conditions and proposed improvements of Price Boulevard:
1. Background
There is limited East-West access within the City of North Port and because of this Fire Rescue aligns its response patterns to emergencies to address this situation. There are three short segmented East-West roadways: 1) Tropicaire Boulevard, a two-lane road near the North border of the City, 2) U.S. 41, a four-lane signalized divided roadway and 3) Hillsborough Boulevard, a two-lane road on the South border of the City. There are two central roadways: 1) Interstate 75 which has limited access/egress and 2) Price Boulevard, a two-lane signalized road which extends the full length of the City. Presently, four of the five City Fire Stations are located within proximity of Price Boulevard and the other is located within proximity and central to U.S. 41. These locations provide optimum response and protection to the community utilizing the road network described above and additional collector and local streets.
Because of the geographic limitations of East-West road corridors and the North-South collector roadway network, most emergency response vehicles utilize Price Boulevard.
2. Present Conditions and Emergency Response
• The roadway lacks stabilized shoulders and has multiple obstructions such as mailboxes and elevated driveways that impact the ability of private vehicles to pull off the roadway and yield to responding emergency apparatus.
• Certain segments of the road are subject to long traffic cues several times a day. Those times include morning and evening commute times and school opening/closing times. These cues increase the response times as apparatus must maneuver the long lines very carefully.
• Each time an emergency occurs on Price Boulevard, even a medical call at a home, emergency vehicles must park on the roadway blocking one lane of the two-lane road. This requires North Port Police to respond to safely direct alternating lane movement of traffic.
• Turning radius at many of the cross streets and signalized intersections do not meet the minimum requirements for the emergency apparatus.
• There is not sufficient road width to turn an emergency vehicle around on Price Boulevard and therefore our vehicles must continue some distance to a location with a side street that loops back to Price Boulevard or a business parking lot where they can complete a turn.
• There are an extremely limited number of fire hydrants on Price Boulevard for firefighting purposes.
• The existing traffic signals on Price Boulevard are older and do not support the Emergency Vehicle Traffic Preemption System for safe and efficient movement of responding emergency vehicles through intersections.
3. Proposed Improvements and Emergency Response
• A new four-lane divided roadway will allow private vehicles to pull safely to the right lane, which also includes several feet of dedicated bike lane, and stop to yield to approaching emergency vehicles. This will allow the emergency vehicle to respond unimpeded in open lane of the roadway.
• The new roadway will include improved smart traffic signals that will adjust to increased traffic to reduce traffic cues. Should the roadway become congested, private vehicles would have the option to pull to the right lane or even into the turning lanes in the median.
• When an emergency occurs on Price Boulevard, emergency vehicles would continue to park in the roadway; however, because of the added lane in each direction, private vehicle traffic can continue to flow unobstructed without the aid of Police traffic direction.
• The widened roadway and improved intersections will provide additional turning radius for the larger emergency vehicles.
• The additional lanes and median cuts will allow for emergency vehicles to make U-turns when required.
• The addition of water lines and fire hydrants on both sides of the roadway will improve firefighting capability on Price Boulevard and will further allow the expansion of City water and hydrants into the adjacent neighborhoods should the community support such initiatives.
• The new traffic signals at the intersections on Price Boulevard will be equipped with Emergency Vehicle Traffic Preemption for the safety of our citizens and our first responders.
4. Conclusion from Fire Rescue and Police:
We believe that the above points provide some of the present challenges that Price Boulevard presents to the provision of emergency services by Fire Rescue. Likewise, we have outlined what we believe some of the positive impacts of an improved Price Boulevard road corridor may be on the provision of Fire Rescue services. While Fire Rescue presently meets the response criteria that has allowed them to achieve their ISO Class 1 community rating for fire protection, increased growth and the lack of an efficient East-West road corridor may impact the response capabilities of Fire Rescue and affect that rating and the reduced insurance premiums our community enjoys.
The following provides a list of impacts of denial should the Commission opt not to approve the Typical Roadway Cross Section for Price Boulevard Phase 1 Widening and leave the two lane/two direction roadways “as-is”:
• Increased rate of vehicular accidents. The current traffic volume Level of Service is F and the adopted Level of Service is D. As traffic volume increases, so will the number and rate of vehicular accidents. Residents with driveways on this segment of Price Boulevard will have increasing difficulty to enter, or leave, their property.
• The traffic signal timing at the Price Boulevard/Salford Boulevard intersection was reviewed and adjusted, placing the maximum amount of green time on the Price Boulevard legs of the intersection. There remains a significant back-up of traffic on west-bound Price Boulevard in the morning peak and east-bound Price Boulevard in the afternoon peak periods that will continue to worsen until more lanes are added on Price Boulevard.
• The condition of the existing pavement on Price Boulevard is reaching its useful life before replacement or resurfacing is needed. The estimated cost to resurface is $450,000.
• The traffic signal assemblies at the Salford Boulevard, Cranberry Boulevard and Chamberlain Boulevard intersections are span wire type assemblies. They were designed as such to minimize the construction costs, with the intent to replace them with the mast arm assemblies when the road is widened. The span wire assemblies are less reliable in high wind conditions than the mast arms.
• Emergency response reliability will decrease with increased traffic volume on the roadway.
• Lane blockage by solid waste collections (weekly) and mail delivery (daily) will continue.
Strategic Plan
Price Boulevard Widening Project
Financial Impact
NA
Procurement
NA
Attachments:
1. Commission Workshop Minutes April 15, 2014
2. January 2016 Public Meeting Comments
3. Commission Meeting Minutes April 26, 2016
4. Commission Meeting Presentation April 26, 2016
5. Unified Land Development Code Chapter 37, Article IV
6. November 16, 19, 30, 2016 Public Meetings Comments
7. Public Comments Social Media
8. Memorandum to Juliana B. Bellia from Assistant Police Chief Michael Pelfrey
9. Memorandum to Juliana B. Bellia from Fire Chief William Taaffe
10. PowerPoint Presentation
Prepared by: Benjamin Newman, P.E. and Juliana B. Bellia
Department Director: Juliana B. Bellia