Crosswalk Request for Zirconium St and Alpine Dr

At the July 21, 2009  Public Works Committee received a request for providing cross walks that would offer access to Alpine Park to the residential neighborhoods to the north. This request has been brought forth again by a resident of that neighborhood. The chief concern is the ability to access the park safely across Alpine Drive which has a 45 mile per hour speed limit and a daily traffic count of 2400 vehicles per day. The Alpine Acres subdivision neighborhood includes 22 single family units fronting on 153rd Way that accesses Alpine Drive via Zirconium
Street, and 16 single family units fronting on 153rd Court which accesses the west end of the
park. Please recall that a crosswalk providing  access to the western portion of the neighborhood was installed
 at the intersection of Alpine Drive and 153 Court at a relatively modest cost of $2,200. However, a crossing location for the eastern neighborhood was found to be more problematic and no action was taken by the Committee. A possible location having an adequate, but not ideal sight distance had been identified at a point approximately 200 feet west of the intersection with Zirconium Street. This location has the advantage of requiring a minimal distance of "extra travel" for pedestrians from the eastern neighborhood that wish to go to the playground area which is east of Zirconium Street. A crossing at this location would require; a) 200 feet of trail, b) cross walks with signage, c) concrete steps down the grade, and
pedestrian ramps. The estimated cost for these improvements is $38,000. There is also a question of compliance with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) since steps would not make this access usable to wheelchair users. Staff contacted  the Department of Justice, which administers the act, and was advised that a facility (the park) required only one accessible point. However, if an access were to be considered the main entrance, then a handicap access should be
seriously considered. This would not be the case since there are two other access points on both the east and west sides of the park.

Micheal Helfenstein 6440-153rd Way was notified that this case would be discussed at tonight's meeting.

Crosswalk lines should not be used indiscriminately. An engineering study should be performed before a marked
crosswalk is installed at a location away from a traffic control signal or an approach controlled by a STOP or
YIELD sign. The engineering study should consider the number of lanes, the presence of a median, the distance from
adjacent signalized intersections, the pedestrian volumes and delays, the average daily traffic (ADT), the posted or
statutory speed limit or 85th-percentile speed, the geometry of the location, the possible consolidation of multiple
crossing points, the availability of street lighting, and other appropriate factors. New marked crosswalks alone, without other measures designed to reduce traffic speeds, shorten crossing distances, enhance driver awareness of the crossing, and/or provide active warning of pedestrian presence, should not be installed across uncontrolled roadways where the speed limit exceeds 40 mph and either:
A. The roadway has four or more lanes of travel without a raised median or pedestrian refuge island and an
ADT of 12,000 vehicles per day or greater; or
B. The roadway has four or more lanes of travel with a raised median or pedestrian refuge island and an ADT
of 15,000 vehicles per day or greater.
Because non-intersection pedestrian crossings are generally unexpected by the road user, warning signs
should be installed for all marked crosswalks at non-intersection locations and adequate visibility should
be provided by parking prohibitions.

While the request for a crosswalk is reasonable, the cost of the crossing is significant. At the present time a balance of
$200,000 is available in the trail fund, however a project being undertaken in the near future will significantly reduce this amount. The match required on the 161st to Alpine Dr trail which will be located on the east side of Armstrong Blvd is approximately $180,000.00 alone. Staff has been tasked with finding Federal or State Grant money to help pay for our trail system, but more often then not, the city is required to pay for a portion or "match" a certain percentage of the total project cost. Without money in our Trail Fund or other funding sources, we are unable to apply for Grants as they become available.

TIF funding could be used for the sidewalk portion of the project, but staff needs to clarify if the steps or park entrance could be financed through the TIF fund.  The cost for the signage would come from the general fund under traffic engineering (cost center 0260)

Staff recommends that a crosswalk not be installed at this location because of the mid block location and marginal sight distance.

Motion to accept staff recommendation not to install crosswalk near Zirconium St/Alpine Dr intersection
Motion to reject staff recommendation and choose an alternative based on committee discussion