BARRACKS ROAD AND EMMET STREET IMPROVEMENTS - COMMENT/RESPONSE LOG Date Name Comment Email Response Details Based on the results of a study published by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in 2005 (Safety Effects of Marked Versus Unmarked I see no crosswalk going from the south side of Barracks at the top near Crosswalks at Uncontrolled Locations), it was revealed that the presence of a marked crosswalk alone installed at uncontrolled locations made no Buckingham over to Hilltop. In terms of walkability for the community and the difference in pedestrian crash rate when (pedestrian safety) compared to intersections with unmarked crosswalk. In fact, the study went on to find neighborhood, this seems counter to the pedestrian goals. Speaking personally, that pedestrian crash rate significantly increased when the presense of a marked crosswalk was in place on uncontrolled multi-lane roadways when my children have grown up running across Hilltop (at great peril) at this location compared to unmarked crosswalks. In summary of what this study demonstrated, the installation of marked crosswalks do not necessarirly make to enter the neighborhood. 1 6/9/2021 Holly Mason hollymcbryde.mason@gmail.com an intersection safer for pedestirans to cross. However, experience has shown that other supplemental factors including the implementation of varous traffic calming measures can have a more positive effect on pedestrian safety at uncontrolled crossings. As such, the project has proposed Everything we are hearing from the City is to encourage more foot traffic out of to implement reduced travel lane widths (11') by relocating the existing curb line on the south side of Barrack Road within the project limits. The the neighborhoods to commercial centers. Can our neighborhood have some design team and City believe crosswalks have been provided at the safest locations available along Barracks Road. That said, the City also commits protection crossing at this location? to reassessing the merits of a crosswalk, and other supplemental safety measures, at Hilltop/Buckingham Road once future plans to extend sidewalks to/from this location are planned/programmed. Why is the proposed easement for Dominion on my property so huge? There is The size of the easement has been minimized by Dominion as much as possible, and is largely due to the required down guys (support wires that 2 6/11/2021 Thomas Gallagher presently a pole, and it does not require anything like the amount of space shown tfg@virginia.edu extend outwardly from the top of pole to the ground) to provide the necessary anchorage for tension on the cable running across Barracks Road. on the plan. They require certain distances behind the pole for this anchorage to be installed and maintained in accordance with Dominion standards. We would greatly appreciate your assistance in assessing the effects of the Project on the vegetation on our property. The relocation of the fence, as we see it, will require the removal of all the trees and plantings on the outside and just inside the fence. This said, we have great affection for the stand of holly trees, which are not part of our fenced property and hence would not be affected by the relocation of the fence. We ask whether the construction easement can be The replacement of the fence will be addressed as part of the right-of-way (RW) acquistion process. As portions of the fence will need to removed adjusted to save the hollies. We would not object if adjusting the easement to faciliate power pole relocation (before the project begins) and the remainder removed to facilitate construction of retaining walls (during required construction vehicles to cross our lawn in order to access the back yard construction), we would recommend RW compensation being made to address the replacement of the fence once the project is completed and the as long as the root systems of the existing tulip poplars and the rhododendron in implementation of temporary fence closure, if needed, to ensure continuous containment of the back yard until the final replacement can be 3 6/12/2021 Joe and Eleanor Kett jfk9v@virginia.edu our front yard are protected. implemented (by the owner). With regard to the Hollies, we will add "Do Not Disturb" notiation for any Hollies that can be avoided by the contractor, however impact to a few of the Holly trees may be unavoidable to implement the improvements, particulary the dominion pole With respect to the Dominion Energy easements, the power pole near the corner relocation that is required. Compensation can be made for the loss of these trees. Discussion will continue to resolve the disposition of the fence of Barracks Road and Buckingham Road is now anchored within the hollies, If the and trees during the right-of-way acquistion process. hollies can be saved, this easement presents no problem. There is a separate power pole located farther down Barracks and parallel to our back yard. We would appreciate a clear picture, including specific dimensions, of how this easement will affect our property. We do not want a guy wire extending from this pole, as the existing plan appears to show, deep into our back yard. Could you tell me more about the cost and other limitations to modifying the south side of the road? In fact, we need to have a cost analysis of modifying many roads in Charlottesville...(especially if the goal is to increase affordable Every roadway improvement project is different and there are a number of factors that can impact the cost depending on the characteristics of 4 6/20/2021 Nancy Summers housing) Thanks so much, Nancy (I've worked on projects concerned with nancysummers@hotmail.com each location/project. As such, additonal information would be necessary to full address this question. affordable housing, and is been hard to get the city or country to set aside even relatively small amounts for affordable housing....and they have come up with some plans that seem wildly expensive.) The shared use path (SUP) will be constructed along the south side of Barracks Road, going in the uphill direction towards Preston Ave (east). There will be shared lane markings (sharrows), beginning near Buckingham Road, placed in the westbound travel lane heading downhill towards Barracks 5 6/21/2021 Diana Salmon What side of Barracks Rd will the shared use path will be installed on? diasal@hotmail.com Road Shopping Center. An existing shared use path along the northside of Barracks Road between Emmet St and Meadowbrook Road will remain in place. The turn onto Barracks from Buckingham (particularly going left, but right too) has always been extremely dangerous due to the lack of visibility and the speed of cars coming up Barracks. I know that this design will encourage cars to slow One of the most significant safety improvements being implemented is the relocation of the existing curb line on the south side of Barracks Road to down but I am curious to know if anything else can be done to improve the promote compliance with the 25 MPH posted speed limit and provide a more hospitable environment for making turning movements at this 6 6/30/2021 Natalie Masri visibility at this intersection. I highly encourage you to spend some time in your nsmasri@gmail.com intersection. The design team and City believe crosswalks have been provided at the safest locations available along Barracks Road. That said, the vehicle at this intersection to get a sense of what I mean. You really have to City also commits to reassessing the merits of a crosswalk, and other supplemental safety measures, at Hilltop/Buckingham Road once future plans accelerate super fast to get off Buckingham without getting hit! It has been a to extend sidewalks to/from this location are planned/programmed. problem for a very long time despite signage related to turning vehicles on Barracks. Another question that pertains to the fence. Will you replace the fence if 7 6/30/2021 Natalie Masri nsmasri@gmail.com The dispostion of the fence will be addressed as part of detailed right-of-way acquistion discussions. needed? Also, I gave this feedback at the initial design stage - this is a lovely improvement but it just stops at the top of the hill. Cyclists and pedestrians are then faced with There is a plan to restripe the existing roadway to incorporate sharrow markings, but no plans to continue the shared use path due to budgetary 8 6/30/2021 Natalie Masri nsmasri@gmail.com the same uneven sidewalks and no bike lanes. What is the long term plan to constraints to do so with this project. make a bike/ped friendly corridor that continues all the way to downtown? I just watched the video presentation of the improvements on Barracks Rd. It looks very good. The lights are an excellent idea...I am impressed that home owners can choose their trees! I may not be able to attend the 9 7/5/2021 Nancy Summers nancysummers@hotmail.com Thank you for your thoughtful comments and participation in the planning process. Zoom tomorrow because of another Zoom, but I wanted to thank you for the care you have given to including people in the project, informing us all, and listening to the community...your professionalism. How high will the retaining wall be and does this height vary? From the renderings it appears to be only about 4 feet high for the entire distance but I have heard neighbors state that it will actually be higher on places. Is this correct? The retaining wall will be variable height. The rendering was only intended to illustrate the various streetscape compontents as a typical application, and not location specific. The height of the walls will be between 3' and 12.5', with the tallest portions being at the western end near Can the specific trees that will be lost be marked with colored tap so everyone Hessian Road and eastern end near Buckingham Road. See cross-sections in the engineerng drawings for specific heights at specific locations. The 10 7/5/2021 Lou Hamby` can see which ones they are? lhamby@amrl.com trees to be removed will be marked upon request from individual property owners if needed to support the RW acquistion process. While the shared use path (SUP) will support commuters to/fron Emmet Street and the buisinesses that reside in that interection, it is anticipated that the I have not seen a single biker attempt the climb up Barracks Road from Emmett residents from the local neighborhood will be the most frequent users. In either case, the accomodation of safer bike/ped facilities along Barracks Street. Maybe it will be claimed that the current situation is too treacherous Road is a requirement of VDOT Smartscale funding, so is therefore a required improvement for the project within the established project limits. (true), but are there any legitimate projections as to how much bike traffic there would be if the multi use path is created? Who would these bikers be, where would they be coming from and where would they be going? I am a resident of Rugby Hills (1439 Westwood Rd) and use this intersection regularly as a driver and biker. Four years ago I had a bike accident on the downhill slope approaching the intersection after hitting a bump created by asphalt repair, which sent me to the emergency room with a fractured collar bone, but I have continued to cycle down Barracks on my way out Garth Road as this is the most convenient exit from my neighborhood out into the countryside. I think the proposed changes all look great and applaud the work you are doing. Thank you for your thoughtful comments and support for the project. We will add an additional sharrow marking in the westbound thru lane 11 7/6/2021 Leonard Schoppa It will help a great deal to have the extra right turn lane in front of Cava. I hope schoppa@virginia.edu approach to the signzalized Barracks/Emmet intersection as suggested, however considering the limited turn lane storage available for queued you plan to paint a "sharrow" on the lane going straight through the intersection, vehicles, will not be able to implement bike boxes at this intersection. since this will be the most convenient place for a bike going this direction to wait at the light. You might even consider putting a green bike box there to make it clear bikes have a right to go there (and avoid the danger of waiting at a crossing where roll-through right turns on red happen frequently. I would also like to make a special plea for your construction crews to avoid leaving asphalt repair bumps, which are particularly hazardous at downhill speeds. I live on hessian Road and usually gain access to Barracks Road via the Barracks/Blue Ridge Road intersection. While I think the new design for the pedestrian/bike path along Barracks is an excellent idea, and I am glad Barracks Thank you for your thoughtful comments and support for the project. Similar to concerns with making turning movements at Buckingham Road will not be expanded on the other side (which respects the tree canopy and the (per prevoius comment), these difficulties are created by the combination of vehicle speeds and marginal/poor sight distance at the Hessian Road, steep slope on that side). on the other hand, there is still a problem with how fast Blue Ridge Road and Buckingham/Hilltop road intersections. Due to fact the scope of the project is limited only to providing bike/pedestrian through traffic streams down Barracks Road toward Emmet Street AND how improvements up Barracks Road, limited budgetary contraints, potential impacts to private property and need to preserve of tree canopy, there is difficult it is for a car enter Barracks from Blue Ridge (turning in either direction, 12 7/6/2021 Gregory Orr gso@virginia.edu very little we can do to enhance sight distance without signifant encroachments/impacts or adding signifcant cost/scope to the project. We have but left turn/uphill is much worse). That intersection is inherently dangerous and however elected to implement traffic calming measures, as part of the bike/pedestrian improvements, by relocating the existing curb line on the addition of a BLINKING YELLOW light at that spot to alert traffic to the Barracks Road (as previously mentioned), which we believe will have a positive impact on reducing vehicles speeds within the limits of the project intersection would be a huge improvement in terms of safety. It might also on Barracks Road. We also believe this measure will have a far better effect on speeds, and thus safety, than advance warning signage. That said, if persuade through traffic to go a bit slower (traffic speeds down that hill-- way warranted, these may be implemented in the future if needed. past the posted "25 mph speed limit." Otherwise, I think it is a sensible and respectful plan (i.e. it respects the grove of trees/forest on either side of Barracks). I have watched the presentation and find some thing I like, and other things that will move us in the wrong direction. Things I like: -Multi-mode path -Narrowed vehicle lanes (presentation says they’re reduced to 11’ but I don’t know what they are now) -The lighting looks cool Thank you for your thoughful comments and support for the components of the project you like, and for offering suggestions regarding the items Things I don’t like: you don't. To address the latter, first let us clarify the matter of the slip lane. Based on the latest engineering drawings, and to address these -2 new vehicle lanes concerns, the slip lane will be signal controlled rather than a free flowing movement. This slip lane will not only provide for a protected pedestrian -Slip lanes! phase in the signal, but also accomodate the turning footprint of larger commercial vehicles making this acute right turn onto Barracks at the CVS. -“Pedestrian refuge” feels like a gaslighting term. Nobody wants to stand in the Regarding the additonal travel lane, this addition is aimed at meeting the primary purpose/need of the project, which is to improve traffic 13 7/7/2021 Josh Krahn joshkrahn@gmail.com sun waiting for another light. operations in the intersection. Having this additonal dedicated left turn lane in the westbound direction will allow this movement to run concurrently with the eastbound dual left turn movement, thereby allowing for increased green time (reduced delays) through the intersection. As much as I want more bike paths (I depend on them to commute from my The signal will be timed to accomodate the pedestrian crossing speed needed to cross the entire leg of the intersection. However the refuge islands home on North Ave to my office by the airport) the new car lanes spoil the are being provided as an additional safety measure to accomodate the occational pedestrian that may find themeslves short of completing the project for me. I'm not sure what the options are since there is non-city funding crossing maneuver. on the table, but I will ask Council to approve the path and lane narrowing without the additional lanes. And, above all not to build bike-hostile slip lanes. If we're ever going get traffic under control, we need to start *eliminating* car lanes, not build more. Adding new vehicle lanes will just make us more dependent on cars for trips that could/should be made on foot or by bike. Let's build our city for humans, not automobiles. I like the portion of the design from Emmett up the hill - it will be way better for Thank you for your thoughful comments and support for the components of the project you like, and for offering a suggestion about the slip lane. pedestrians and cyclists. However I would like to see the slip lanes at the Based on the latest engineering drawings, the slip lane will be signal controlled rather than a free flowing movement, which we agree can create 14 7/7/2021 Matthew Gillikin matthew.t.gillikin@gmail.com intersection of Emmett and Barracks removed from the design. These will make concerns with pedestrian safety. This slip lane will not only provide for a protected pedestrian phase in the signal, but also accomodate the turning the intersection less safe for pedestrians and cyclists. footprint of larger vehicles making this acute right turn. The existing lane widths along Barracks, between Emmet and Hilltop, range between 12’-16’, which creates an environment that is conducive for vehicles to easily travel above the posted speed limit. As part of the project, we will be relocating the curb line on the south side of Barracks Road What traffic-slowing measures are being taken on Barracks Road between Hilltop 15 7/7/2021 Ellen Blackmon ellendblackmon@gmail.com to create narrower, 11 foot travel lanes in both directions. This will result in a more constrained driving environment, and thus have a calming and Emmet? effect on traffic traveling in both directions. This is implemented to address the many concerns with multi-modal manuevers at the side street intersections. The retaining wall will be a variable height adjacent to the frontage of your property. The height will range from 3’ (near Buckingham) to 8.5’ One of my concerns is that all of the design renditions from Buckingham down to (western edge). The variable height of the wall is needed to provide enough room behind the wall to install the concrete ditch to assist with the intersection continue to show a lovely same-height wall. I believe somewhere stormwater runoff, while also mitigating the need to cut further into properties and remove more trees. Unfortunately, we do not have a rendering 16 7/7/2021 Eleanor Kett I saw something that said the wall by our property will be eight or more feet high. ehkett@gmail.com created that shows what the planned walls will look like near your property, however we did have a supplier provide a sample of the brick pattern Have you any picture showing what it will actually look like by our property on form liner, which is availble for viewing upon request. the corner of Barracks and Buckingham? Of so, could you supply that to me? One very critical need for safety is a lighted pedestrian crosswalk at Hilltop (such as the one on Preston just passed Washington Park). Children walk that way to Based on the details provided in prevous comment responses, installation of marked crosswalks do not necessarily make an intersection safer for school and adults walk across Barracks to walk in the Hilltop/Blueridge pedestirans to cross. However, experience has shown that other supplemental factors, including the implementation of varous traffic calming neighborhood. measures and/or advance warning signage can have a positive effect on pedestrian safety at uncontrolled crossings. As such, the project has 17 7/12/2021 Eleanor Kett ehkett@gmail.com proposed to implement reduced travel lane widths (11') by relocating the existing curb line on the south side of Barrack Road within the project As we have expressed to you on many occasions, we hope you are taking limits. As an additional measure, once the project is completed, the City will monitor the safety at this intersection and seek to implement seriously our request to move the construction right of way to save our 30+ year additional measures at the intersectinon, if warranted. We have heard your concern about impact to the stand of holly trees and will do what we old stand of 10 hollies and my husband wrote about incursions of the electric can to protect as many of them as possible and mitigate for the ones we cannot as part of the right-of-way acquistion process. company guy wires both in our front and back yards. Pursuant to the meeting tonight my two concerns were: l) Aesthetic of brick facade proposed 2) Proactive that new plantings of trees (and tree canopy) in the corridor not destroyed by prevalence of devastating utility (Asplundh) pruning. Better to The brick pattern to be implemented on the façade of the retaining wall was selected amonst 4 other options as the preferred treatment by the bury utilities if possible, but you said that is not included in the plan. project Steering Committee. Following this selection, a sample was created in order to see/feel how this façade will look, which is available for viewing upon request at City Hall. Unfortunately, the pruning of trees by utility companies to protect their overhead lines is unavoidable, and due 18 7/7/2021 Tara Little tjlittlejl@gmail.com to budget constraints, the project will not be able to underground the overhead lines. We did extensively engage Dominion Energy on various You suggested I email you to arrange to see the sample of the brick facade options to relocate the existing poles in conflict with the project, and after lengthy discussion, the approach to relocate in-kind poles on the south material proposed in the project. Thank you for letting me know how easiest to side near Buckingham Road was selcted as the best approach within the available project budget. take a look. Seeing the rendering tonight was very encouraging and your group have done an excellent job with design, safety and function, especially considering the amount of land you had to work with. I listened to the public hearing last night for the Barracks/Emmet improvements and I think the plan that was selected is the best among the various options that were proposed a couple years ago. A concern I have had with part of the project since it was first proposed is its eastern terminus at Buckingham Road, where I live. There is limited visibility for eastbound traffic as they crest the hill, which is the same place where cyclists will Thank you for your thoughtful comments and support for the project, as well as providing your safety concerns at the Buckingham/Hilltop Road, be joining the road as the shared use pathway ends. As eastbound vehicles which is created by the combination of vehicle speeds and marginal/poor sight distance. Due to budgetary contraints, impacts to private property approach the terminus they are typically accelerating to climb the last section of and need to preserve of tree canopy, there is very little we can do to enhance sight distance without signifant encroachments/impacts or adding the hill. signifcant cost/scope to the project. We have however elected to implement traffic calming measures as part of the shared use path construction 19 7/8/2021 Hamilton Lombard hl2qs@virginia.edu by relocating the existing curb line on Barracks Road (as previously mentioned), which we believe will have a positive impact on reducing vehicles Additionally, residents on Hilltop and parts of Rugby often cross Barracks Road speeds within the limits of the project on Barracks Road. The design team and City believe crosswalks have been provided at the safest locations near the terminus to walk down the hill rather than walk two blocks out of the available along Barracks Road. That said, the City also commits to reassessing the merits of a crosswalk, and other supplemental safety measures, at way to get to a crosswalk. When the improvements are completed there will Hilltop/Buckingham Road once future plans to extend sidewalks to/from this location are planned/programmed. likely be more people crossing Barracks in a location with very limited visibility for eastbound traffic. In the detailed engineering plan I saw an analysis for the stopping sight distance at some intersections with Barracks Road. Was the stopping sight distance calculated for eastbound traffic approaching Buckingham Road? Thank you for leading the presentation and discussion regarding Barracks / Emmet improvements last night. On the whole it looks good. A few follow up points / questions. Will the landowners that do have property that abut to the construction zones on the north side of Barracks be provided We will be certain to coordinate directly with those property owners/residents who are in or near the construction zones throughout the project direct communications / updates regarding schedules, traffic impacts, etc.? And and make sure they are not relying on what we are pushing out to the general public. It is highly doubtful that there will be a substantial amount of not be dependent on the public forums / discussions? With the work being night work associated with the job considering the close proximity to many of the home in the area. There may be a night or two where it is performed during off peak hours knowing such will be key for minimizing 20 7/8/2021 Andrew Dunnington adunnington@comcast.net warrantied but we envision almost all the work along Barracks to occur during the day. To my knowledge, there are existing cobra head lights on disruptions. Also, will the pole lights currently in place be removed where some of the Dominion energy poles along the corridor. We have not had discussions w/ Dominion on this matter but I envision these lights to pedestrian path downlighting in the retaining wall on the south side of Barracks remain, especially on the poles along the northside. The City is no longer considering restricting movements at on Hessian Road. exists? I do have one question that is not directly linked to the B/E improvements. What is the status of the Hessian Road proposed changes that would result in eliminating the lawful exit from Hessian onto Barracks and in turn only one way through traffic onto Hessian from Barracks? 1.) Request to see Retaining Wall Treatment Options 2.) Desire to see improved Opportunity to view the architechural wall treatment has been provided. Supplemental signage or other flashing beacons/RRFB options will be 21 7/8/2021 Martha Bass marthamckbass@gmail.com crossing, particuraly with RRFB installed at Blue Ridge or Buckingham considered in the future if the primary method of calming traffic is proven to be ineffective. I fully support the design which has been created for these improvements. As a lifelong cyclist, and someone who for several years commuted to work at UVa on this segment of Barracks Road, I appreciate how much of an 22 7/9/2021 Stephen Bach improvement this will constitute both for people who walk there and people who stephen.bach@runbox.com Thanks for taking time to look over project materials and for providing your comments. Your support of the project is greatly appreciated! bike there. Thanks, and keep up the good work Holly and I both listened to the public hearing July 7 and posed no questions or comments. This email serves as my comments, which echo those made previously. Some have been addressed by you and others, but I feel it important to make a few salient points. 1. Barracks Road is part of the neighborhood. Guiding principles should respect this designation without a desire to convert it to a major thoroughfare. 2. Safety for all should serve as a compass. I fully agree with Marty Bass who commented during the session that crossing Barracks Road at any intersection is always dangerous. We respectfully request any available safety measures at these crosswalks to be employed. 3. Traffic calming measures are welcomed and critical. Traffic up and down the We believe reducing the lane widths on Barracks to 11' in each direction will mitigate excessive vehicle speeds along the corridor. Once this primary 23 7/11/2021 John Mason hill is routinely fast and crazy. johnmasonmd@gmail.com method of calming traffic is implemented (lane width reduction), the City will reassess the need for additional mitigation to supplement the intersections along Barracks, including but not limited to advance warning signage and/or RRFB's (rapid rectangular flassing beacons). 4. Minimizing impact on the land of those of us who live on Barracks Road will help preserve the neighborhood feel of the space. With increasing land acquisition and higher walls, the more industrialized and urban this road will become. 5. Tree canopy. This has been discussed at length. Lastly, and philosophically, it is critical for the city to preserve its neighborhoods. This is a neighborhood first and foremost. Via necessity it has become a “Cut- through“ overtime as traffic planning has been unable to direct traffic patterns outside of neighborhoods. We respectfully request this area be viewed as a neighborhood, with all future plans aiming to preserve and regain what was once a slow, quiet neighborhood environment. On the matter of slip lanes, there is quite a bit of confusion regarding how it will function for this right turn movement. We first looked at the geometry of the intersection (acute angle) and the fact that we are narrowing lanes on Barracks Road. We came to the conclusion that we either The bike/ped stuff is pretty good, I don't love the lighting but it's still better than needed a slip lane or excessively large radius to accomodate the turning path of large buses and commerical vehicles. A traditional slip lane allows what we have. The intersection is rough for two reasons. One: I'm concerned this vehicles to make this movement without stopping at all or at most with a yield. The modified slip lane as it is currently configured will be controlled is going to encourage even more cut through traffic on Barracks between Emmet 24 711/2021 Lyle Solla-Yates lyle.sollayates@gmail.com by the traffic signal (full stop condition with signal control). We felt that this struck the best compromise between creating the shortest crossing and Preston. Two: I'm concerned this is even more dangerous for pedestrians to distance possible while still allowing for the required turning radius for the larger vehicles. Again, just to reiterate all that, these are NOT traditional cross. Is it possible to address these issues within this project? Eliminating the slip slip lanes and will function just like any other right turn at a signalized intersection. The only difference is that there will be the pedestrian island lane and left turns onto Emmet jumps out to me as high impact and low cost. between the through lanes and the turn lane. As far as cut through traffic on Barracks Road, Barracks and Preston are Primary Arterial streets, therefore traffic on these streets cannot be cut through. Thank you for the public ZOOM meeting last week. Appreciate all the effort from the Timmons group and the City. I write specifically to comment on the lack of appropriate crosswalks on Barracks Rd at Blue Ridge Rd and at Hilltop Rd. As a resident of this neighborhood and someone who has walked three children, multiple canine friends and who jogs Thank you for your thoughtful comments and support for the project, as well as provdiing your safety concners at the Blue Ridge and Buckingham regularly through this neighborhood and these roads, I feel qualified to comment Road intersections, which created by the combination of vehicle speeds and marginal/poor sight distance. Due to budgetary contraints, impacts to on the use of these roads. Many in our neighborhood, like me, use these roads. private property and need to preserve of tree canopy, there is very little we can do to enhance sight distance without signifant This project demands crosswalks to protect pedestrians across Barracks Rd. encroachments/impacts or adding signifcant cost to the project. We have however elected to implement traffic calming measures by relocating the Furthermore, there is every expectation that this project will increase that foot existing curb line on Barracks Road (as previously mentioned), which we believe will have a positive impact on reducing vehicles speeds within the 25 7/12/2021 Holly Mason traffic significantly In fact, that is a goal if I understand VDOT’s smart scale hollymcbryde.mason@gmail.com limits of the project on Barracks Road. On the matter of crosswalks, as explained in greater detail at the top, the installation of marked crosswalks project. do not necessarirly make an intersection safer for pedestirans to cross. In fact, studies have shown the opposite in other crossing environments. The design team and City believe crosswalks have been provided at the safest locations available along Barracks Road. That said, the City also Both Blue Ridge and Hilltop locations are extremely dangerous and can take commits to reassessing the merits of a crosswalk, and other supplemental safety measures, at Hilltop/Buckingham Road once future plans to many minutes before any vehicles slow down or stop to allow pedestrians to extend sidewalks to/from this location are planned/programmed. cross. In my opinion, both places need push buttons with flashing lights to ensure pedestrian safety In light of the project’s commitment and priority to pedestrian safety, I respectfully and strongly request every consideration for safe crosswalks at both Blue Ridge and Hilltop intersections. I was unable to attend the public meeting last week, but I did review the materials and have two things to share regarding this project. First, I am so happy that this intersection is being improved, and many of the proposed changes are ones that I have often thought of in the past - so thank you! One additional change that may have already been considered is the following: When heading down Barracks Road away from 250 The approach of EB Barracks Road to US Route 29 currently has 374 lefts in the PM peak hour and 415 lefts in the Saturday peak hour (2019 towards Emmet St (ie, next to the Bank of America), there should be one counts). The typical maximum volume a single left turn lane can accommodate in a signalized condition is approximately 250 lefts. The total lane turning left and heading north on Emmet/29N, one lane going volume of lefts during both the PM and Saturday peak hours will overwhelm the available queue storage for the existing 300’ x 100’ EB left turn straight and continuing on Barracks Rd towards downtown, and one lane lane. In addition, there are only 36 EB rights during the PM peak hour and 63 EB rights during the Saturday peak hour. So in summary, the existence 26 7/13/2021 Jamie Leonard turning right onto Emmet towards JPJ Arena. Currently there are two alohajamie@msn.com of one continuous lane on EB Barracks Road becoming a dedicated left turn lane allows for the intersection to accommodate more left turn lane lefthand turn lanes, and I have never once seen either of those two filled storage. If the middle lane configuration is changed, then any queues that occur will block access to the existing storage bay, which create further to capacity. Additionally, the one lane currently dedicated to either going queuing issues upstream. In other hours of the day (ie. AM peak hour), it may be true that a majority of traffic wishes to go through or right. straight or turning right gets backed up with people turning right into However, in the PM and Saturday peak hours, the majority of traffic is attempting to travel left onto NB US Route 29. The change in lane Kroger and/or turning right/south onto Emmet. As you make this configuration would negatively impact operations on Barracks Road and impact other upstream traffic signals. intersection more pedestrian and bike friendly (as it should!), the backup for people turning right will continue to increase as they yield to pedestrians, thereby hindering traffic attempting to go straight onto Barracks. Spreading this traffic across three lanes (and three directions) will help with overall flow vs essentially keeping it at 'two' lanes. The addition of the slip lanes + pedestrian islands was mentioned as a pedestrian safety component, but in my own experience, I’ve found other intersections in the city to be less safe and welcoming for pedestrians for several reasons. To start, these pedestrian islands permit for faster travel through the intersection, with turning drivers typically at a faster speed when they come around the turn. Additionally, these islands create a larger On the matter of slip lanes, there is quite a bit of confusion regarding how it will function for this right turn movement. We first looked at the intersection, marooning pedestrians between two streams of cars geometry of the intersection (acute angle) and the fact that we are narrowing lanes on Barracks Road. We came to the conclusion that we either generally traveling at relatively fast speeds. Islands also increase the needed a slip lane or excessively large radius to accomodate the turning path of large buses and commerical vehicles. A traditional slip lane allows distance needed to cross the intersection, like the intersection of vehicles to make this movement without stopping at all or at most with a yield. The modified slip lane as it is currently configured will be controlled 27 7/15/2021 Chris Schooper cjschopper@gmail.com Monticello and 2nd street downtown. Finally, on a busy corridor like this by the traffic signal (full stop condition with signal control). We felt that this struck the best compromise between creating the shortest crossing one, it seems likely that traffic turning right could frequently block the distance possible while still allowing for the required turning radius for the larger vehicles. Again, just to reiterate all that, these are NOT traditional crosswalk to the pedestrian island, again making things less pedestrian slip lanes and will function just like any other right turn at a signalized intersection. The only difference is that there will be the pedestrian island friendly.. between the through lanes and the turn lane. Generally speaking, I find that intersections with tighter turns and no islands result in slower traffic as drivers have the cue that they need to apply the brakes more vigorously. Additionally, the actual distance from one curb to the other is smaller, making for a more welcoming intersection that can easily be crossed within ~15 seconds. Hi, just to get on the public comment. Yes, I am asking about pedestrians crossing from the bank where the wall does obscure vehicles making a The project plans to imlement a leading pedestrian indication (LPI). This would mean that the signal goes all red, then the pedestrian signal turns on right-hand turn. And as the pedestrians are walking from the bank to CVS first for a few seconds and then the green is given for cars. This only takes a few seconds from time but would allow pedestrians to enter the Oral their back is at the traffic that's turning. So that was my concern. And the intersection first so that they are already in the roadway and vehicles will be more likely to respect their right-of-way. This is common in other comment at 28 Patricia Gibson other would be vehicles trying to get onto Barracks Road from urban signal timings for pedestrian safety, and will improve visiblity for the right turning vehicles you mention. Regarding traffic entering Barracks the public Meadowbrook Road when the cars block that intersection despite the sign Road from Meadowbrook Road, this entrance will be restricted to right-in/right-out movements only, so although queueing is still expected to hearing that is on the right-hand side. Thank you. I really appreciate all the effort extend beyond Meadowbrook Road, finding gaps for right turns will be made easier when compared to gaps needed for left turns through queued to make this a safer intersection that will clear more easily with the vehicles. traffic. Thank you. I guess I would just maybe make the point that I was trying to make Oral earlier that I would lobby for an attractive brick. I mean, it is a gateway to comment at UVA, this corridor, and it can be truly as attractive as you are rendering or A sample has made available for viewing by the public to assess the attractiveness of the brick pattern form liner to be applied to the retaining 29 Tara Little the public it can not be very attractive at all if the material is cheap and fake looking. walls. In our opinion, it can be just as attractive as actual brick. hearing I don't know how best to explain it, but I'm lobbying for good-looking material as far as the brick facade goes on the wall. Thank you. If you can't make a left-hand turn onto Barracks from Meadowbrook, Oral doesn't that imply that there's going to be a lot more traffic up Spots There are multiple ways to exist the neighborhood onto Barracks Road other than Meadowbrook, including Blue Ridge Road, Hilltop Road, Rugby comment at 30 Mary Lewis Wood and Blue Ridge, because right now Blue Ridge is so dangerous Road, Hessian Road, and the signalized intersection of Morton Drive to the Barracks Road/Emmet Street intersection. The community is encourage the public because there's lots of blind corners, it's a narrow road and there's no to use the route that best suits their leve of comfort. hearing street lights. Just a thought. I wanted to express concern about the shared path for pedestrians and Oral bicyclists and I assume scooters count in there too, although it wasn't The functional width of the shared use path (8'), in addition to the 2' shoulder space provided on each side, is intended to provide a reasonable level comment at 31 Herb Cutler mentioned. And I want to know how those bicycles and scooters are of comfort suitable for all users. The design is meant to strike a balance between providing adequate bike/ped space (or space for the use of other the public going to be managed so that the pedestrians are not threatened by the pedestrian vehicles) and limiting impacts to private properties and/or tree canopy. hearing bicycle and scooter traffic. I couldn't tell whether you heard my comments about the usage of the joint pedestrian path and how you're going to manage, A, the safety of the pedestrians with bicyclists on there and secondly, are the scooters going to be allowed on there as well, which is even more threatening to a walker. I would also like to express concern about these multiuse paths. I have a dog that I walk on a leash and I walk down on the Riverview Road, you know the river road down in the area down past the woolen mills, and with bikes coming up behind you and skate boards coming up behind you and children on scooters coming up behind you -- it's really -- I'm sure The functional width of the shared use path (8'), in addition to the 2' shoulder space provided on each side, is intended to provide a reasonable level there must be some rules for these. But I feel that we're not very good at of comfort suitable for all users. The design is meant to strike a balance between providing adequate bike/ped space (or space for the use of other making the rules for traffic speed any better. I don't know who is going to pedestrian vehicles) and limiting impacts to private properties and/or tree canopy. Interaction between modes is managed by the users. Bike traffic Oral traveling down the hill in the westbound lane will have plenty of room to manuever without conflicting w/ the existing ditch on the north side. monitor the rules for multiuse paths, but it's really hard to walk a dog on comment at Regarding the design treatment of roadway improvments in a neighborhood setting, we would respectfully disagree. All of the design decisions 32 Martha Bass those paths when there's people coming up behind you on bikes and the public we've made have been in keeping with the neighborhood feel and desires of the community, as evidenced by the feedback. We have heard that hearing whatnot. So I think we really have to look at that and I also feel that bikes vehicles speeds and intersection safety is a concern, so we have implemented traffic calming measures by reducing the travel lane widths. We have will probably -- if they are going down the hill would want to be going heard that the existing tree canopy gives Barracks Road an attractive neighborhood feel and should be preserved, so we are investing in retainng down when they ride with traffic, which would be riding on the north side walls to maximize the preservation of the trees. In short, we belive the design strikes a reasonable balance between accomplishing the of the road, and there's a terrible ditch there. It is not very safe. So I'm purpose/goals of the project while being mindfull and respectful of the environmental in which is resides (a.k.a. context sensitive design). really concerned about that. And I am still very concerned about the crosswalks. I think something has to be done to have at least one lighted where you can push a button and traffic stops on that stretch of road; whether it's at Blue Ridge whether it's at Heshen, whether it's at Hilltop, but there should be some way. This is still a neighborhood even though I don't think you have treated it like that in my opinion, but I think we should be able to get across the street to go walk in the neighborhood. So those are my two big concerns. Thank you. But I just want to say that I like the dual, the multiuse bike lanes. I mean, ideally I'd like to see a lane on each side, a bike lane on each side of the road so that maybe some of those pedestrian, bike, dog walker incidents will be spread out a little bit more. I'd like to say I also go to River View Park and I walk on that path, again with my son, and we've never really had an issue. People with bikes will ring their bike bell when they are behind you. I have issues with people with their dogs off leash, but that's probably not what we're going to deal with on this road. I get that this is a neighborhood road, a road that borders a neighborhood. But I like that it's actually going to be used for, like, people commuting to and from work. I Oral think that's great use of this road and space alongside this road. Again, I'd Thank you for your support of the project, and as you suggested, making improvements on both sides of Barracks Road would be cost prohibitive. comment at like bike lanes on both sides, but I don't feel like the landowners in this As stated in many of the responses above, the slip lane will be signal controlled so as to avoid the concerns with free flowing turning movements 33 Crystal the public area would be too happy with that. The other thing on this that I kind of while pedestrians are attempting to make this crossing. They will only be give a "walk" indication when cars controlled by the signal to stop. hearing have an issue with is also the slip lanes from Emmet to Barracks on both Unfortunatley due to conflict w/ existing underground utilities under the island, the planting of new trees won't be possible. sides. I feel like those are also not pedestrian friendly and they're just a danger to pedestrians. And if what you're trying to do here is, like, help people commute safely and get across thi huge intersection safely, these plans are a pretty bad way of doing that. And I also like the small islands, the pedestrian, whatever they are called, safe islands to help you cross the street. It would be nice if there's a tree in them because as a pedestrian it is not the most pleasant thing to stand in the middle of traffic in the sun on a road that is busy. But the slip lanes I don't like. And I think it's great if people can bike up and down this major artery into and out of town. Thank you for taking my comment.