November 18, 2020 East 52 nd Avenue Feasibility Study Community Open House 1
Welcome! For Spanish interpretation click the interpretation button on Zoom’s bottom menu Agenda:
o Project introduction o Study areas (existing conditions and preferences) o Draft alternative alignments o Draft alternative cross-sections o Discussion
Open House Communication and Expectations of Participants • Respectful conversation • At specific points during the presentation participants will be asked to provide feedback via polling activities and open
discussion.
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Angela Jo Woolcott GBSM Meeting Facilitator
Leah Langerman David Evans and Associates Polling Administrator
Karen Good, AICP Project Manager City of Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI)
Matt Buster David Evans and Associates Consultant Project Manager
Will Wagenlander David Evans and Associates Planner
Victoria Mendoza Hispanidad Interpretation Services
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Introducing the 52nd
Avenue Feasibility Study o Project goals and
outcomes o Where are we in the
planning process? o Existing conditions analysis
(building on previous planning studies)
o Flyers and online survey o Community Working
Group o Engineering feasibility
52nd Avenue
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Community Working Group Update o Globeville-Elyria-Swansea Coalition o City Council District 9 o Colorado Motor Carriers Association o Denver Streets Partnership o JK Concepts Cabinets & Woodworking o 52nd and Vasquez Scale Company
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Focus Area 1: 52nd Avenue from Brighton Boulevard to Colorado Boulevard
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Existing Pedestrian Bridge
N Line Station
Focus Area 3: National Western Center (NWC) N Line Station Connectivity
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Existing Pedestrian Bridge
N Line Station
October 2020 Community Survey Results What we heard:
• Agreement with the need for improvements on 52nd and at the Brighton/York underpass
• Confirmed the need for connectivity in all directions • Local network is more important than regional connectivity • Low volume streets are appreciated
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Carpool
What transportation improvements are most important to you?
9% Scooter
9% Lyft/Uber/Taxi
25% Transit
32% Freight
42% Pedestrian
45% Bicycle &
Pedestrian
48% Bicycle
48% Vehicular
9% 7% Other Van
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Which gaps are the most important to fill?
Other Connectivity to bike Direct connection from Connectivity south
Connectivity to facilities 52nd Ave to Brighton Blvd across I-70 transit stops
Connectivity north along Connectivity west Connectivity east of
46% 46% 43% 36% 33% 33% 30% 30% 23% 10%
Brighton Blvd under the Connectivity east-west across river Colorado Boulevard Connectivity to NWC freight railroad to York St on 52nd across the freight Station
railroad 13
Will be edited
52nd Avenue
Street Section & Right-of-Way Limitations
• Tradeoffs between impacts and elements of the street width
• ROW and existing street section vary along the corridor
• Some ROW available on the east side
• Very limited ROW available on the west side
Reserved publicly owned land for transportation purposes, such as a highway, sidewalk, rail transport, and other infrastructure
52nd Avenue
59’ – 60’ ROW
50’ ROW
21’ ROW
ROW = Right of Way 16
52nd Avenue from Brighton Boulevard to Colorado Boulevard – Alignments
o 1 (least impactful) – 3 (most impactful) 1st Alignment
• No vehicular crossing (bike and pedestrian only) of railroad tracks with improvements to 52nd and adjacent local streets
2nd Alignment • Over or under option
3rd Alignment • Over or under option
o Each has differing types of new connections and impacts on neighboring properties
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Alignment 1: Bike and Pedestrian Crossing • Define and formalize parking
and street edge. i.e. add curb, gutter, & sidewalks
• Includes bike and pedestrian crossing but no vehicular crossing of rail line
• No vehicular connectivity to commuter rail, Platte River, and NWC
• Limited impacts to adjacent properties
• At-grade railroad crossing is not possible
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Alignment 2: Over or Under Rail Line • Ped, bike and vehicular
improvements from Brighton to Vasquez
• Creates a 4-way intersection at Brighton Blvd / 52nd
• Proposed grade-separated rail crossing
• Local street network re-alignment impacts residences
• Improved connectivity to Brighton, Platte River, and NWC
• Property impacts on west side
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Underpass Option Overpass Option
Alignment 3: Over or Under Rail Line • Ped, bike and vehicular
improvements from Brighton to Vasquez
• Creates a 3-way intersection at Brighton/York Underpass
• Proposed grade-separated rail crossing
• Improved connectivity to Brighton, Platte River, and NWC
• Property impacts north of 52nd
• Greater property impacts on west side
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Underpass Option Overpass Option
Overpass Example Underpass Example
15th Street Under Freight Rail Line in Downtown Peoria Crossing at Smith Road in Aurora • Visual barrier • Clearance needed • Possible environmental issues
• Easier and more economical (esp. related to railroad &) • More difficult to • Higher cost drainage coordinate/construct • Impacts to surrounding street
• Impacts to adjacent properties • Line of sight to other side for network multimodal users • Impacts to the local street network • Impacts to adjacent
• Drainage issues/pumping properties
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Poll What appeals to you: Over or under the rail line?
1) Over 2) Under 3) Equal or no difference 4) No crossing
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Poll Which of the alignment options do you prefer?
1) Alignment 1 2) Alignment 2 3) Alignment 3 4) None of the above
Please add additional ideas
Alignment 3
Alignment 1
Alignment 2
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52nd Avenue Corridor Characteristics
• West side
• Neighborhood
• Commercial
Example ideas to get your perspectives and ideas
Preference polling and discussion will follow
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Commercial • Larger blocks • Big parcels • More truck and
vehicular movements • Large curb cuts and
driveways for parcel access
• Employment • 60-foot ROW typical • More regional
connection needs
Commercial -Cross Section 1 Commercially focused street • Separated bike facility on
one side • No on-street parking • 10.5’ travel lanes • Amenity zone (trees in
hardscape) with opportunities for transit stop enhancements and to buffer pedestrians from traffic
• Larger sidewalk / multimodal path to accommodate bikes on side without the bike lane
• Stays within the existing 60’ ROW 30Existing 60’ ROW
Commercial -Cross Section 2 Benefits and tradeoffs: • 1 Bike lane • On-street parking on
one side to buffer bike lane
• 11’ travel lanes • Amenity zone (trees in
hardscape) with opportunities for transit stop enhancements and to buffer pedestrians from traffic
• 6’ Sidewalks on each side
• 62’ ROW vs. 60’ Existing ROW
31Existing 60’ ROW
Poll Which of these sections do you prefer for the commercial section? o Section 1
Please enter new ideas/ questions you might have into the chat box o Section 2
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Section 1 Section 2
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Neighborhood • Primarily residential • Multiple intersections • Swansea Neighborhood
Park • Homes address 52nd at the
side of lots rather than fronting the street
• More bicycle and pedestrian needs
• ROW from 20 feet – 60 feet • More local connection
needs
Neighborhood -Example Cross Section 1 Benefits and tradeoffs: • Bike lanes on both
sides • On-street parking on
one side to buffer bike lane
• Amenity zone (Turf and Trees) to buffer bikes and pedestrian from vehicles
• 6’ sidewalks • 10’ travel lanes • 60’ ROW
65’ ROW
34Existing 20’- 60’ ROW
Neighborhood -Example Cross Section 2 Benefits and tradeoffs: • Buffered bike lane on
one side buffered by parking
• Amenity zone (Turf and Trees)
• 6’ sidewalk on one side
• 10’ Sidewalk / Multiuse Path on other side
• 10’ travel lanes • Opportunities for
enhanced transit stops • 60’ ROW
35Existing 20’- 60’ ROW
Poll Which of these sections do you prefer for the neighborhood section? o Section 1
Please enter new ideas/ questions you might have into the chat box o Section 2
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Section 2 Section 1
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West Side • Large, super blocks • Big parcels • More truck and vehicular
movements • Large curb cuts and
driveways for parcel access • Employment • 0 feet to 20 feet ROW • More regional connection
needs
West Side -Cross Section 1 Benefits and tradeoffs: • Bike lanes on both
sides buffered by on-street parking
• Amenity zone (hardscape with trees)
• 6.5’ sidewalks on both sides
• 11’ travel lanes • Opportunities for
enhanced transit stops • 75’ ROW
38No existing ROW
West Side -Cross Section 2 Benefits and tradeoffs: • Buffered bike lanes
on both sides • Onn-street parking
on both sides to further buffer
• Amenity zone (hardscape with trees)
• 6’ sidewalks on both sides
• 12’ travel lanes • Opportunities for
enhanced transit stops
• 80’ ROW
39No existing ROW
Poll Which of these sections do you prefer for the west side? o Section 1
Please enter new ideas/ questions you might have into the chat box o Section 2
Section 1 Section 2
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Brighton/York Underpass • Flooding and drainage issues • No pedestrian or bicycle facilities • Poor sight distance for drivers • Low clearance • Environmental issues • Aesthetics
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Brighton/York Underpass Improvements • Ped, bike and vehicular
improvements • Realignment of Brighton to
provide site distance and safety improvements
• Aesthetic improvements to a “City Gateway”
• Coordination with BNSF and RTD critical
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Poll How important are bicycle and pedestrian improvements beneath the Brighton/York Underpass to you?
1) Extremely 2) Somewhat 3) Not Important
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Focus Area 3: National Western Center N Line Station Connectivity
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Existing Pedestrian Bridge
N Line Station
Focus Area 3 • New pedestrian and
bicycle bridge • Bike lanes added to
47th Avenue • Connection to
Brighton Blvd Transit Station
• 48th Avenue sidewalk improvements
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48th Avenue Sidewalks Project Project Highlights • Adding 1,400 feet of sidewalk
along the south side of 48th • Landscaping along new sidewalk,
including 25 new trees • Improved storm drainage • Repaving from Brighton to Claude
Project Schedule (Tentative) • 12/2020 - Construction advertisement
• 5/2021 - Start Construction
• 12/2021 - Construction complete
48th Avenue
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Poll What are your biggest priorities for connections to the NWC N- Line Station?
1) Better pedestrian connections 2) Better bike facilities 3) Better crossings 4) Better vehicular drop-off facilities 5) All the above 6) Connections to the station are not
important to me
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Poll Which improvement is most important to you?
Please select your top priority
1) Brighton/York Underpass 2) 52nd Avenue overpass/underpass
(across the rail line) 3) Improvements to existing 52nd
Avenue 4) Connections to the NWC N Line
Station
This will help assist in prioritizing future projects based on your input.
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What’s next? o Refinement and Identification of Priorities and Alternatives, including:
High-level engineering analysis Consideration of costs Identification of possible impacts and benefits
o Next Meetings and Opportunities for Feedback: Community Working Group: early 2021, after alternatives analysis Public: early 2021, after the Community Working Group meeting
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For More Info or to Submit a Comment:
o Visit project web page: www.bit.ly/52ndAveStudy
o Call Karen Good, Project Manager: 720-865-3162
o Email Karen: [email protected]
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