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Brentwood City Commission Agenda

Meeting Date:	05/11/2020
Resolution 2020-44 - Authorizing Installation of Bike Lanes on Granny White Pike
Submitted by:	Kirk Bednar, Administration
Department:	Administration

Information

Subject

Resolution 2020-44 - Authorizing Installation of Bike Lanes on Granny White Pike

Background

With the scheduled repaving of Granny White Pike before the end of FY 2020 (June 30), staff engaged the services of the engineering firm of Kimley-Horn to explore the feasibility of installation of bike lanes as part of the new striping plan for the road. The bike lanes would run the entire length of the corridor from the new traffic signal at the entrance to Foxland Hall subdivision north to the southern entrance to Brentwood Academy adjacent to Powell Park. Consideration of bike lanes at the time of repaving Granny White Pike was a recommendation in the Bike and Pedestrian Ad Hoc Committee's final report from 2016. Note that consideration of bike lanes was within the existing width of the road. No construction to widen the road was part of this study.

Granny White Pike currently has 36 feet of asphalt with an additional 2 feet of concrete curb on each side for a total of 40 feet width from curb to curb. The current lane configuration on Granny White Pike is three lanes - one northbound lane, one southbound lane, and one center turn lane - with each 12 feet wide. To incorporate bike lanes within the existing 36 feet of asphalt would obviously require modification of the existing lane design. Two bike lane options were identified by Kimley-Horn as follows:

Option 1: Buffered 4' Bike Lanes (11’ wide travel lanes, left turn lanes only at intersections)

Option 2: Non-Buffered 3' Bike Lanes (10’ wide travel lanes with a center left turn lane through the corridor)

A third option would be to leave the road as currently striped with no bike lanes. See attached exhibit showing all three options.

Given the traffic levels on this road, any change to the lane configuration would have an impact on the residents that live along the corridor as well as those who routinely travel the corridor. City staff hosted a community meeting on February 20 for residents to view the options, ask questions of staff and the engineers, and provide input for consideration by the City Commission. In addition, various City social media outlets were used to gather additional public input.

All of this input was collected and provided to the City Commission in early March. In a recent work session discussion, there was a clear consensus among Commissioners that Option 1 was not a viable alternative to consider because of the negative impact on traffic flow with removal of the center turn lane along much of the corridor. Therefore, if the Commission wishes to add bike lanes, Option 2 is the only realistic option to consider. Staff believes Option 2 would not have a negative impact on traffic flow, and the narrower driving lanes may have the secondary effect of reducing travel speeds slightly.

During the recent work session, there was discussion about different striping/coloring schemes if Option 2 were implemented. After consultation with the City's pavement marking contractor, staff is recommending use of heavy duty green epoxy paint at targeted locations through intersections as well as green backgrounds for each of the required bike lane symbols (see attached schematic example). The proposed green epoxy paint costs more than standard pavement paint, but will last much longer and maintain its color vibrancy longer, which staff believes is of utmost importance along this corridor.

Staff estimates the additional cost of striping bike lanes along this corridor, including bike lane symbols and the green epoxy paint at targeted locations, to be approximately $36,000. Note that painting the entire length of the bike lanes green would cost approximately $380,000, and is not recommended. There was also some discussion about installing rumble strips in the new pavement between the driving lanes and the bike lanes, but staff does not recommend that either.

Staff Recommendation

If the City Commission approves installation of bike lanes on Granny White Pike, staff recommends design Option 2.

Previous Commission Action

N/A

Fiscal Impact

Amount :	$36,000 est.
Source of Funds:	Capital Projects Fund
Account Number:	311-43100-1001

Fiscal Impact:

The additional pavement marking cost for including bike lanes as part of the Granny White Pike repaving project is estimated at $36,000. This includes appropriately spaced bike lane symbols with a green epoxy paint background as well as green epoxy paint in the bike lanes through intersections. There are sufficient funds in the Bike/Pedestrian project in the Capital Projects Fund budget.

Attachments
Resolution 2020-44
Bike Lane Option Layouts
Green Paint Intersection Marking Example
Signed Resolution