PARTNERS FOR WHAT’S POSSIBLE
DOWNTOWN CIRCULATION PROJECT CITY OF EASTON, NORTHAMPTON COUNTY, PA PennDOT District 5-0 July 24, 2020 to August 7, 2020 Virtual Presentation PROJECT LOCATION
Northampton County
City of Easton
Downtown PROJECT LOCATION
Northampton County
City of Easton
Downtown Existing Proposed
RING ROAD Two Way
Fourth Street
One Way
Ferry Street
Second Street
Spring Garden Street
Current Operation
One-way counterclockwise vehicular flow 2217
AVERAGE DAILY 7322 TRAFFIC VOLUMES 3418 1914 6851 1808
3049 7899 2016 ATR count data PennDOT TIRe data retrieved 2019 PROJECT GOALS
Improve wayfinding
Ease of getting to businesses
Friendly to visitors
Improve walkability
Friendly to bicycles
Reduce vehicle speeds
Reduce circuity / travel time
Minimize impact to on-street parking ADA CURB RAMPS
Ring Road ADA curb ramps at the signalized intersections have recently been upgraded to modern standards 1964 DESIGN
From the Thursday, August 8, 1964 Easton Express
Ring Road one-way counter-clockwise
Third Street one-way away from Centre Square
Northampton Street one-way toward Centre Square
First 90-day trial started Monday, August 10, 1964
“Separate shopper from commuter traffic”
Whitehall Mall opened in 1966
Different patterns now with suburban retail centers and online shopping PILOT PROJECT BEFORE
Successful City project
Constructed in 2015 th Convert 4 Street from One-way to Two-way (Spring Garden Street to Ferry Street)
Restriping existing pavement
Signal modifications
Parking adjusted
Bike sharrows added
36 feet curb-to-curb AFTER Existing Proposed
RING ROAD Two Way
Fourth Street
One Way
Ferry Street
Second Street
Spring Garden Street
Current Operation
One-way counterclockwise vehicular flow PROPOSED CROSS -SECTION EXISTING
Spring Garden Street looking east
36 feet curb-to-curb
7’ wide parallel parking
11’ travel lanes PROPOSED NEW SIGNAL MASTARMS
Third Street and Spring Garden Street
Second Street and Northampton Street
Third Street and Ferry Street
Fourth Street and Ferry Street ESTIMATED PARKING LOSS Spring Garden Street
63 spaces existing
53 spaces proposed Second Street
69 spaces existing
57 spaces proposed Ferry Street
44 spaces existing
42 spaces proposed T Two Way Stop A All Way Stop
Signal T
EXISTING CONDITIONS (NO BUILD)
Existing Proposed T Two Way Stop A All Way Stop A Signal T ALTERNATIVE E
Convert to two-way operations
No turn lanes
All way stop control
Second St and Spring Garden St
Second St and Ferry St A Modify signs and Existing signals for two-way traffic Proposed PROJECT SUMMARY –RING ROAD
36 feet curb-to-curb
11’ travel lanes proposed
7’ wide parallel parking
Up to 24 parking spaces lost
Traffic signal equipment modifications and signal retiming at 4 intersections
All-way stop control at 2 intersections
Remove One-Way and Do Not Enter Signs
Adjust lane use signs and pavement markings
Adjust parking meters CENTRE SQUARE
Intersection of Northampton Street and Third Street
Non-standard traffic control
Parking in square
Visitors
Park in center PROJECT DATA –CENTRE SQUARE
General
320-foot x 320-foot square to building faces
175-foot diameter circular park
40-foot-wide circulating road
2 counter-clockwise circulating lanes (19’ interior, 20’ exterior)
50-foot wide approach roads with three lanes (two entering, one exiting)
Operations
Non-standard combination signal/stop control
Exclusive Pedestrian Signal Phase
Traffic
3266 hourly vehicles entering weekday midday/4048 weekday PM/3004 Saturday midday
650 pedestrian crossings weekday midday/588 weekday PM/1921 Saturday midday
374 pedestrian crossings in a single crosswalk TYPICAL OPERATIONS
Outer lane must exit every quadrant
Channelizing devices OPERATIONS
Vehicular Phase
Circulating Road has flashing yellow – caution
Entering Approaches have flashing red – stop sign OPERATIONS
Pedestrian Phase
All vehicular traffic has solid yellow then solid red
All pedestrians can cross ADA CURB RAMPS
Ramps do not meet modern standards
Uneven pedestrian surface PAVEMENT
Poor condition
Uneven pedestrian surface DRAINAGE
Poor condition
Only one inlet along central island
7 additional inlets in parking areas ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTRAINTS
Cultural Resources
Located within the National Register (NR) Listed Easton Historic District, Key Nos. 000625, 155078, and 155079
National Register Resources within Project Area nd Eligible Easton U.S. Post Office, Key No. 040743 (northwest corner of Ferry and South 2 Streets) th Listed Parsons-Taylor House, Key No. 086699 (northern side of Ferry Street between South 4 and South Bank Streets)
No Adverse Effect anticipated
Section 4(f) No Use
Hazardous Waste Sites
1 Dry Cleaner
3 facilities noted as having storage tanks
No impacts anticipated
National Environmental Policy Act Clearance Document
Bridge and Roadway Programmatic Agreement EXISTING CONDITIONS (NO BUILD ) ALTERNATIVE 5
Single circulating lane, single entering lane
Expand center park by about 20 feet
Much shorter pedestrian crossing distance and time
Signal control similar to existing
Curb bump-outs
ADA improvements
Possible parking changes SINGLE CIRCULATING LANE Advantages
Much larger center park
Much shorter pedestrian crossings
Simplified operations Disadvantages
Longer vehicular queues/back-ups
Vehicular traffic may divert to Ring Road PROJECT SUMMARY –CENTRE SQUARE
Increase size of interior circle and park
Reduce circulating lane width
Reduce pedestrian crossing distances
Upgrade ADA pedestrian accommodations
Replace pavement and crosswalks
Accommodate buses and emergency vehicles BUDGET AND SCHEDULE Budget
Transportation Improvement Plan Construction $2,100,000
Turnback Funds $665,000 $2,765,000 Current Schedule
Preliminary Engineering complete: August 2020
Final Design complete: Early 2021
Notice to proceed for construction project: July 2021
Construction complete: June 2022 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Rodney Rehnert Earl Armitage III
PennDOT District 5-0 Project Manager Pennoni Project Manager
1002 Hamilton Street 2041 Avenue C
Allentown, PA 18101 Bethlehem, PA 18017
610-871-4562 610-231-0600 [email protected] [email protected]