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TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council FROM: Jim Collins, Director of Transportation DATE: July 23, 2024 SUBJECT: Res 24-416 Provide Direction to Staff Relating to the Reconstruction of Bowen Street from Otter Avenue to East Parkway Avenue

BACKGROUND

The stretch of Bowen Street between Otter Avenue and East Parkway Avenue was most recently constructed in 1969 and has a Right-of-Way (ROW) width of 49’ and is planned for reconstruction in 2027.   The City of Oshkosh (City) submitted an application to East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (ECWRPC) through the Oshkosh Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) to receive partial funding from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s (WisDOT) STP-Urban Program.  The application noted that bike lanes would be added to the cross-section to be consistent with the previously-approved City of Oshkosh Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan 2019. As a part of the design process, through WisDOT, public input is required and was held in the form of a Neighborhood Meeting on April 23, 2024 at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church.  The public’s preference for the corridor would be to maintain the one-sided parking as it sits today.  However, the State Municipal Agreement (SMA) requires that bike lanes shall be included in the Project and the ROW width does not allow for a parking lane and bike lanes.

ANALYSIS

AECOM evaluated six (6) different layout options and presented the options to the Transportation Committee at their June 11th meeting.  Please see the attached document for slides from the presentation.    Alternate A shows the layout of the corridor as it sits today and is not an option that would be preferred as the new design would look to modernize the configuration and provide a slightly-larger terrace space, as shown in Alternate B. Alternate B shows the modernized corridor with parking lanes and a wider terrace space.  Alternate C shows the corridor with modernized travel lanes and bike lanes consistent with the City of Oshkosh Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan 2019. Alternates D, E, and F are options that would not meet the minimum design standards of WisDOT or would require additional ROW to construct.  Additional ROW is not a viable option due to the homes and businesses which are built close to the ROW line.  Due to the confined ROW, there is not a viable option to maintain on-street parking and provide adequate on-street bike facilities such as bike lanes.  The Transportation Committee recommends maintaining the current street layout with parking allowed on the west side of the road and no bike lanes with a slight terrace improvement (Alternate B on the attached slides).

FISCAL IMPACT

If Alternate B is selected, the City would look to submit a request to ECWRPC to maintain the funding despite the lack of dedicated bike lanes.  ECWRPC would need to bring the request forward to the Oshkosh MPO Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and the Oshkosh MPO Policy Board for approval. Funding would be contingent upon both the TAC and Policy Boards’ approvals.  If the TAC and Policy Board do not approve the change, Staff will bring back the alternates for Council discussion. If Alternate C is selected, there would be no change to the original application and the funding would remain the same.

RECOMMENDATION

Staff recommends approval of Alternate B.

Attachments Res 24-416 AECOM June 11 Presentation to Transportation Committee

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