Durango-area residents shared varying views about proposed transportation changes, including to roads, bike lines and the infamous “Malfunction Junction,” this week at a public meeting.
Fifteen out of 21 respondents said they favored a mini roundabout over eliminating left-hand turns near the intersection known as Malfunction Junction – Florida Road, 15th Street and East Third Avenue, said Devin King, city multimodal manager.
Wednesday’s meeting was attended by 38 residents.
King and representatives from SEH Inc., including Steven Winters, project manager, fielded questions from residents, explained how proposed redesigned traffic flow and new bike lanes would play out on East Second Avenue between 15th and 13th streets, and reviewed the pros and cons of proposed alternatives for the tricky intersection at Florida Road, 15th Street and East Third Avenue.
The Midtown Safety and Connectivity project has reached a 60% design level for the two alternative fixes, and the city organized the meeting to show how proposals in the project have developed.
Malfunction Junction is a tricky intersection to navigate, and solutions have been tricky to design, Winters said at a previous public meeting.
He said a roundabout is the best alternative if traffic growth trends continue upward because it makes higher-speed, left-turn collisions less likely. The intersection is positioned on a steeply graded hill, and it is common for traffic to travel northbound, southbound and westbound faster than the posted speed limit.
But grade is another concern because of icy conditions in the winter. The idea for a mini roundabout included a slight slope with a grade of a little over 4%, an SEH representative said. Roundabouts can typically handle grades of 5% or less.
The roundabout proposal is not without downsides. Winters said it is the more costly of the major alternatives proposed, with an estimated price tag of $3 million. Additionally, if traffic increases more rapidly than anticipated, the roundabout could fail.
Even constructing the roundabout would significantly impact traffic and area residents, he said.
Karen Anesi, who lives on East Third Avenue directly adjacent to Malfunction Junction, asked how residents living immediately adjacent to the roundabout would back their vehicles out of their driveways without entering the traffic feature.
Presenters said those residents would not be required to back into the roundabout, and there would be space to perform a three-point turn.
The city proposes making East Second Avenue between 15th and 14th streets one-way southbound and between 13th and 14th streets one-way northbound, in tandem with prohibiting left turns from Main Avenue onto 14th Street. The changes would be implemented by the Colorado Department of Transportation.
In making changes to East Second Avenue, the city would create two-way cycling lanes. Some residents questioned why the city wasn’t planning to include physical barriers between the bicycle lanes and the vehicle lanes.
An SEH representative said designs are constrained because they must account for fire engines and other emergency vehicles that need to access East Second Avenue. The street must maintain a 20-foot fire lane. Parallel parking spaces line the street, and creating physical barriers between cycling and vehicle lanes would limit the available space to about 12 feet.
“I would disagree with that,” an attendee said. “Tell that to the guy that was killed on Florida Road. All bike lanes should be separated by a divider from vehicle lanes. People feel safer and they will be more likely to ride their bikes.”
Resident Lars Hansen said the safest thing would be to build bike lanes as part of an underpass planned below Camino del Rio near 12th Street. Hanson has opposed some proposed changes to East Second Avenue, saying they would adversely affect his wife’s business, Handcrafted House at 1323 East Second Ave.
He said bike lanes on East Second Avenue would deliver cyclists into busy intersections that are already facing high traffic volumes.
“Cyclists, pedestrians, even drivers – we all want to take the quickest, most efficient way possible,” King said in reply. “This cycle track is focused and catering to a lot of the folks that are moving north and northeast of town.”
He said the proposed underpass, known by some as the Camino Crossing, is intended to cater to cyclists and pedestrians headed toward downtown from west of north Main Avenue.
Should the project go forward as presented, 20 parking spaces out of about 108 spaces would be lost to traffic improvements and other features, Winters said.
The project also includes sidewalk and curb improvements, including the installation of sidewalks in areas where there currently are none.
Winters also confirmed the Colorado Department of Transportation intends to remove left-hand turns from 14th Street on Main Avenue, with the update expected sometime this summer.
cburney@durangoherald.com
