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Home My WebLink AboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 02/19/2008 - RESOLUTION 2008-018 AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO ENTER ITEM NUMBER: 23 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY DATE: February 19, 2008 FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL STAFF: Kathleen Bracke Dean Klingner SUBJECT Resolution 2008-018 Authorizing the Mayor to Enter into an Agreement with the Colorado Department of Transportation for the North College Avenue/US 287 Hazard Elimination and Safety Project. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Resolution. FINANCIAL IMPACT The Colorado Department of Transportation(CDOT)has awarded the City a Hazard Elimination and Safety(HES) grant to design and build safety improvements at the intersections of North College Avenue/US 287 and Hickory/Conifer streets. There are no local matching funds required for this new grant funding. These funds have previously been appropriated into the North College Project account as part of the Council approved Budget for 2008-09. Federal Funds $ 346,500 State Funds 38,500 Total Budget: $ 385,000 This grant from CDOT will fund the final design,right of way,and construction costs for this North College Avenue/US287 Hazard Elimination Safety project. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Resolution will authorize the Mayor to enter into an agreement with CDOT for the City to receive the Hazard Elimination and Safety(HES)grant for improvements at the intersection ofNorth College Avenue/US287 Avenue and Hickory/Conifer streets. This new grant from CDOT will fund the design, right-of-way, and construction costs for this project. This project will be designed and built in collaboration with the City's upcoming North College Improvement Project funded via the voter-approved "Building on Basics" 1/4 cent sales tax initiative. February 19, 2008 -2- Item No. 23 BACKGROUND This area of North College/US287 is typical of older state highway corridors and developed over many years in a piece-meal approach with smaller highway-oriented businesses and minor roadway improvements. North College/US287 is a four lane highway,with a striped center left turn lane and partially paved shoulders; sporadic curb/gutter(asphalt curbs in some segments)and discontinuous sidewalks. Drainage swales exist in many areas of the corridor. The posted speed limit is 40 mph along this area of North College/US287. Many pedestrians and cyclists also use North College/US287 in this area. At the intersections of Conifer and Hickory, there is striped center left turn lane. Vehicles turning northbound from US287 on to Hickory Street must share this turn lane with vehicles turning southbound from US287 on to Conifer Street. Given the volume of turning movements at these two intersections,vehicles are often competing for space in this center turn lane resulting in a hazardous condition or drivers are not using the lanes properly. For example, drivers attempting to avoid a head-on crash in the center turn lane either turn left from through-lane or swerve back into the through-lane. Drivers may also be making risky choices of rushing to turn left without an adequate gap in traffic. Many of these evasive driver maneuvers are likely contributing to the high injury crash rate at this location,particularly the high level of rear-end,sideswipe,and broadside accidents. The ultimate,long-term solution for these intersections,based on the adopted US287 Access Control Plan (ACP) is to realign Conifer Street so that it directly intersects with Hickory, eliminating the existing off-set intersections. However,given the magnitude of this proposed change and the rights- of-way impacts to existing businesses,it is unlikely to be feasible in the short-term and will need to be done in the future when major redevelopment occurs in this area. This Hazard Elimination and Safety Project is intended to focus on the short-term solutions identified in the ACP for these intersections to help minimize the accidents at this location. The goal of this Project will be to widen US287 between Conifer and Hickory streets (a distance of approximately+/-300 feet)in order to provide two,separate left turn lanes—one for northbound left on to Hickory and one for southbound left on to Conifer. In addition,the City would address signal timing and location/visibility of signal heads. The existing traffic signals may need to be relocated, however every effort will be made to avoid this expense if possible. These improvements will also provide for safety enhancements for cyclists and pedestrians crossing at these intersections. By offering two, separate left turn lanes, drivers will not have to compete for the same lane for two turning movements and thus, eliminate this conflict area and reduce the accident potential at these intersections. This new grant from CDOT will fund the design,right-of-way,and construction costs for these short- term improvements to help address the immediate safety needs in this area. This project will be designed and built in collaboration with the City's upcoming North College Improvement Project funded via the voter-approved "Building on Basics" 1/4 cent sales tax initiative. ATTACHMENTS 1. Map of North College Avenue/US287 Hazard Elimination and Safety Project NORTH COLLEGE ITS 287 HAZARD ELIMINATION SAFETY PROJECT AT HICKORY / CONFIER STREETS all Nil vIl I L _ � f . Rf ~ ' L6 �. ; r• . 3 ; Will. a � Y ' . p L. Y _ I J• • J� y L ; 7 el a � � +yam Y I � r r i LLa T* y }. !♦ • F •� {r i �J' RESOLUTION 2008-018 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH THE COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR THE NORTH COLLEGE AVENUE/US 287 HAZARD ELIMINATION AND SAFETY PROJECT WHEREAS, the Colorado Department of Transportation ("CDOT") has awarded the City a Hazard Elimination and Safety grant in the amount of $385,000 to design and build safety improvements at the intersections of North College Avenue/US 287 and Hickory Street and Conifer Street (the "Project"); and WHEREAS,the aforesaid grant does not require the City to contribute matching funds; and WHEREAS,the Project will be designed and built in collaboration with the City's upcoming North College Improvement Project which is to be funded through the "Building on Basics"one- quarter sales tax initiative; and WHEREAS,the Council has determined that this grant is in the best interests of the City and that the Mayor should be authorized to enter into the intergovernmental agreement with CDOT for the purpose of enabling the City to receive grant funding for the Project. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS that the Mayor is hereby authorized to enter into an agreement with CDOT in order for the City to receive grant funding for the North College Avenue/US 287 Hazard Elimination and Safety Project in the amount of$385,000. Passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the Council of the City of Fort Collins this 19th day of February A.D. 2008. Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk