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HomeMy WebLinkAboutE-News-City Publications-4/22/20141 Glade Road Project: Status Report Colleyville has grown up around Glade Road. However, today, it is a deteriorating roadway, experiencing heavy traffic congestion in peak hours and requiring improvements for better safety. In May 2013, the city held the first public meeting to garner input on the Glade Road Project, an initiative to update and upgrade Glade Road to improve traffic flow and safety on one of the city's primary east-west corridors. A second public meeting was conducted in November 2013, which incorporated citizen feedback received at the first public meeting. Both meetings were conducted by TranSystems, the city's consultant on the Glade Road Project. On March 3, 2014, the Colleyville City Council conducted the first of two worksessions dedicated to reviewing TranSystems' preliminary recommendations on the project. TranSystems formulated their recommendations on many factors, including the road's topography and geometry, traffic volumes, and input gathered at the public meetings and through individual surveys. At a second worksession on April 16, 2014, TranSystems presented additional options and recommendations based on input from the City Council during the first session. At this session, the Council began making preliminary decisions on the future of Glade Road. While the City Council does not take a formal vote during a worksession, the recommendations below were accepted on a preliminary basis. View the Glade Road Project presentation from March 3 worksession View the Glade Road Project presentation from April 16 worksession With an understanding of the City Council's mandate to "improve the road with as little impact to residential properties and trees as possible," TranSystems will present a final list of recommendations on sidewalk and hike/bike trail options, along with options for curb treatments at the Pre-Council meeting on Tuesday, June 3. If the City Council accepts the additional recommendations at the June 3 meeting, a final public meeting will be scheduled to display the final plan. The City Council is expected to vote later this summer on the final design of the project. 2 RECOMMENDATIONS As part of the process to gather input from the public, TranSystems conducted an online survey for the public about aspects of the project. The results of that survey, where applicable, are listed below each recommendation. Section 1 of Glade Road, River Bend Drive to Bransford Road, is proposed to remain a two-lane, asphalt roadway with left-turn lanes where warranted Survey results (Section 1 - River Bend Drive to Bransford Road): 49.6% Two lanes with left-turn lanes where warranted 23.8% Two lanes with continuous left-turn lane 26.7% Two lanes with medians and left-turn lanes Section 2 of Glade Road, Bransford Road to Thompson Terrace, is proposed to remain unchanged with the exception of adding a 5' sidewalk on the south side and a 10' Trail on the north side. No survey questions were presented for Section 2 (Section 2 - Bransford Road to Thompson Terrace) Section 3A of Glade Road, Thompson Terrace to Bluebonnet Road, is proposed to be two lanes with a continuous left-turn lane to facilitate better mobility in the largely commercial section. While not specifically addressed in the project survey, commercial development in the area warrants a continuous left-turn lane to facilitate entry and exit from commercial areas. Section 3B and 3C of Glade Road, Bluebonnet Road to Jackson/Pool Road, is proposed to remain a two-lane, asphalt roadway with left-turn lanes where warranted. Left-turn lanes will be added at Behrens Road, Chelsea Drive, Jim Mitchell Trail, Summerbrook Drive, and the Colleyville Senior Center (2512 Glade Road) to accommodate traffic movement in those areas. Survey results (Section 3 - Riverwalk Drive to Jackson/Pool Road): 46.7% Two lanes with left-turn lanes where warranted 28.2% Two lanes with medians and left-turn lanes 25.1% Two lanes with continuous left-turn lane 3 Section 4 of Glade Road, Jackson/Pool Road to Heritage Avenue, is proposed to be two lanes with medians and left-turn lanes. The medians would have a mountable curb and colored stamped concrete islands instead of landscaped islands. Survey results (Section 4 - Jackson/Pool Road to Heritage Avenue): 39.4% Two lanes with left-turn lanes where warranted 22.9% Two lanes with continuous left-turn lane 37.7% Two lanes with medians and left-turn lanes The pavement for Glade Road would continue to be asphalt. While initial survey results showed a preference for concrete, asphalt offered similar advantages to concrete-both offered a lifespan of more than 30 years; however, asphalt also offered noise reduction, faster construction, and sustainability, plus minor asphalt maintenance could be conducted by the city rather than requiring maintenance by a contractor, as with concrete. Survey results: 48.5% Concrete pavement 26.1% No preference 25.3% Asphalt 4 To relieve traffic congestion, roundabouts would be constructed at the intersections at Glade Road and Bransford Road (priority phasing with consideration for school traffic) and Glade Road and Riverwalk Drive. Survey results: 65.6% Roundabout at Glade Road and Bransford Road 15.1% Traffic signal at Glade Road and Bransford Road 19.3% Stop sign controlled at Glade Road and Bransford Road Survey results: 56.7% Roundabout at Glade Road and Riverwalk Drive 15.1% Traffic signal at Glade Road and Riverwalk Drive 28.2% Stop sign controlled at Glade Road and Riverwalk Drive 5 Traffic flow onto Glade Road would continue to be controlled with a stop sign at Bluebonnet Road, Martin Parkway, and Roberts Road/Prestwick Parkway. * The road would be lowered five to six feet at the intersection with Bluebonnet Road to improve sight-distance at that intersection. * The stop signs on Glade Road at the Bluebonnet Road intersection would be removed. * It is proposed that there would be two westbound lanes between Heritage Avenue and Roberts Road. The additional lane would extend the distance available to merge to a single lane on Glade Road. This lane would become a right-turn only lane and marked as such just before Roberts Road. * A southbound right-turn lane is proposed on Roberts Road to alleviate congestion on this approach. Survey results: 57.4% Stop sign controlled on Bluebonnet Road only - improve sight distance and remove stop signs on Glade Road 32.0% Roundabout at Glade Road and Bluebonnet Road 10.6% Traffic signal at Glade Road and Bluebonnet Road Survey results: 46.4% Stop sign controlled at Glade Road and Martin Parkway 41.4% Roundabout at Glade Road and Martin Parkway 12.2% Traffic signal at the Glade Road and Martin Parkway Survey results: 52.3% Stop sign controlled at Glade Road and Roberts Road/Prestwick Parkway 35.5% Roundabout at Glade Road and Roberts Road/Prestwick Parkway 12.2% Traffic signal at the Glade Road and Roberts Road/Prestwick Parkway The intersection at Bedford Road and Glade Road would continue to be 6 stop sign controlled, but plans are for Bedford Road to be realigned to improve the sight distance. Survey results: 41.9% Roundabout at Bedford Road and Glade Road 10.4% Traffic signal controlled with realignment of Bedford Road 31.7% Stop sign controlled with realignment of Bedford Road 16.0% No improvements ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS PENDING AT THE JUNE 3 PRE-COUNCIL MEETING While the City Council agreed in principle on the items above, decisions are still pending on these items: Corridor features: Curbs Three options were presented for the type of curb to be installed on Glade Road: ribbon curb with swale, sloped curb, and a barrier curb (curb and gutter). Examples and illustrations of each are included in the April 16 presentation link above. Rather than take a one-size-fits-all approach, the City Council instructed TranSystems to provide a detailed analysis and recommendation for which type of curb is most suitable-both functionally and aesthetically-for each segment of Glade Road, along with renderings of each. Survey results: 37.3% Yes, curb and gutter with storm drain 33.9% Yes, ribbon curb with engineered swales with storm drain 28.8% No preference Corridor features: Sidewalk and Trail The City Council is set to consider three options: a 5' sidewalk on the south side and 10' trail on the north side of the road, a 5' sidewalk on both sides of the road, or a 5' sidewalk only on one side of the road. Survey results: 25.1% Yes, 5' sidewalk on the south side and 10' trail on the north side of Glade Road 31.2% Yes, 5' sidewalk on both sides of Glade Road 35.7% Yes, 5' sidewalk only on one side of Glade Road 8.0% No preference PROJECT SCHEDULE & FUNDING Improvements to the Glade Road Project are being planned and phased on a "pay as you go" basis from existing revenue sources. Funding for the project will be derived from the city's tax increment finance (TIF) district, as well as perimeter and impact fees. (A TIF, or tax increment financing district, is a funding vehicle for cities and TIF partners to use to finance projects and to aid in economic development and infrastructure improvements. It is derived from property taxes collected within the district by TIF partners. In Colleyville, the TIF encompasses most of the Colleyville Boulevard corridor, as well as Glade Road and Cheek- Sparger Road rights-of-way. The original TIF was established in 1998; most of Colleyville's TIF dollars come from property taxes on commercial properties.) While final decisions about the design will affect the overall cost of the project, construction costs are estimated at $17.5 million, with an additional $3.4 million for right-of-way acquisition and design services. Decisions on the phasing of the project are still pending; however, construction could begin as early as 2015 and could extend as far as 2024, depending on the availability of funding. 7 Frequently Asked Questions The Glade Road Project website, dedicated to providing the public with information about the Glade Road Project, is available here. It is also accessible from the front page of city's website, Colleyville.com. Look for the "Glade Road Project" button at the top of the homepage.