07.12.21 TAB Agenda 6 - Arapahoe MUP, CEAPC I T Y O F B O U L D E R
TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY BOARD
AGENDA ITEM
MEETING DATE: July 12, 2021
AGENDA TITLE: SH7/East Arapahoe Road Multi-Use Path and Transit Stops
Preferred Design Option Briefing
PRESENTER/S:
Erika Vandenbrande, Director of Transportation and Mobility
Natalie Stiffler, Deputy Director of Transportation and Mobility
Gerrit Slatter, Principal Transportation Projects Engineer
Brian Wiltshire, Engineering Project Manager
Ryan Noles, Senior Transportation Planner
Jean Sanson, Senior Transportation Planner
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The purpose of SH7/East Arapahoe Road Multi-Use Path and Transit Stop project is to design
and construct missing links in the multi-use path system along Arapahoe Avenue between 38th
/Marine streets and Cherryvale Road and enhance thirteen transit stops within this corridor
section with amenities such as concrete pads, trash receptacles, bicycle racks and shelters. Staff
introduced the project purpose and timeline to TAB at its February 8, 2021 meeting. Since then,
staff has engaged in a Community Environmental Assessment Plan (CEAP) process that has
included robust community engagement and conceptual design to identify a preferred design
option that best balances multiple community goals as well as public preferences shared via
BeHeardBoulder and public meetings.
TAB will hold a public hearing on September 13, 2021 for the CEAP consideration and make a
recommendation to City Council regarding acceptance of the CEAP. Following acceptance, staff
will complete prelimineary and final design, with the project anticipated to be advertised for
construction by July 2022.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
The SH7/East Arapahoe project’s community engagement plan is founded on a “consult” level
of engagement per the city’s public engagement framework. This means that project staff has
been working directly with the public throughout the project to ensure their concerns and
aspirations are consistently understood, considered and reflected in alternatives development as
well as to share feedback on how public input influences decisions.
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Information on the project is available on the project webpage and two virtual public meetings
were held in Spring 2021. During the first meeting, held on March 17, 2021, project staff
introduced the purpose of the project and solicited input on the design options under
consideration. A BeHeardBoulder questionnaire was also open between March 12 and May 18,
2021, soliciting feedback on design options. At the second virtual public meeting, held on May
26, 2021, project staff shared results of public input and presented the preferred design option.
Information on the project and the public meeting was distributed to 1,891 residents, property
owners, businesses and other interested parties through a direct mailing. The City of Boulder
distributed this information in both English and Spanish through their city email groups and
social media.
BACKGROUND:
The SH7/East Arapahoe Road Multi-Use Path and Transit Stops Project is located on Arapahoe
Road between Marine Street and Cherryvale Road (Figure 1). In 2019, the City of Boulder
applied for and received federal funding for this project, which has a total budget of $1.9 million
and is composed of federal ($760 thousand) and city ($1.14 million) transportation funds, which
are allocated in the proposed 2022-2027 CIP. In 2016, the City adopted the East Arapahoe
Transportation Plan (EATP). The plan sets out a long-range vision to create a regional
multimodal corridor along SH 7/East Arapahoe Avenue with high-quality/high frequency bus
rapid transit (BRT), a regional bikeway, multi-use path, and first and final mile supportive
infrastructure. The elements of the plan are intended to be phased incrementally. This project
will advance the near-term action items of the EATP by addressing existing deficiencies, such as
missing segments of multi-use path on either side of SH 7/Arapahoe Avenue, upgrading narrow
sidewalks to wider multi-use paths, and upgrading transit stops that lack infrastructure, such as
concrete pads, trash receptacles and shelters. A future project, to be initiated by CDOT in 2022,
will advance additional elements of the EATP into preliminary design and engineering. These
elements include the potential narrowing of vehicle travel lanes, the repurposing of outside travel
lanes for business access and transit, and a raised protected bicycle facility.
Figure 1 illustrates the segments and bus stop locations along SH7/Arapahoe that this project will
improve.
Figure 1: SH7/East Arapahoe Road Multi-Use Path and Transit Stops Project
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Design Options
A number of design options related to the multi-use path and buffer were considered for this
project, as described here:
Multi-Use Path and Buffer Width Options - Based on the city’s Design and Construction
Standards, the desired cross-section for these improvements is a 12 ft. wide multi-use path,
separated from vehicle lanes by an 8 ft. wide landscaped buffer. While much of the corridor has
ample right-of-way to construct this desired cross section, there are areas where constrained
right-of-way will necessitate the consideration of design options that prioritize how much space
is dedicated to the width of the multi-use path vs. the width of the buffer. Including the desired
cross-section where space is unconstrained (Option 1) and modified cross-sections where space
is constrained, (Options 2 and 3), the design options are as follows:
Option 1: wide path (12 ft. width) and wide buffer (8 ft. width)
Option 2: narrower path (8 – 10 ft. width) and wider buffer (5 – 8 ft. width)
Option 3: wider path (10 – 12 ft. width) and narrower buffer (2 – 5 ft. width)
Buffer Material Options - The buffer area separating people walking and biking on the multi-
use path from traffic can be designed with various plantings and materials. The buffer area can
include more traditional landscaping like grass and trees, which provides shade and visual
interest, but typically has higher maintenance costs, or landscaping that may include native
plantings and rocks, which typically has a lower cost to maintain. Where space is very
constrained, the buffer may be designed with hardscape materials which has no maintenance cost
aside from multi-use path maintenance. Design options include:
Option 1: grass and trees
Option 2: native plantings and rocks, which is lower maintenance
Option 3: hardscape, such as colored or stamped concrete, which is little to no maintenance
Preferred Design Option
The preferred design option, details of which can be found on the project webpage, prioritizes
the desired cross section of a 12-foot multi-use path and 8-foot landscaped buffer where it can be
accommodated within existing public right of way. In limited segments of the corridor east of
Eisenhower Drive, the multi-use path narrows to 10-feet in width and the buffer width varies
between 2-feet and 8-feet to contain improvements within public right of way.
In the buffer area separating the multi-use path from the roadway, the preferred design option is
trees with xeriscape ground cover. These landscape materials can be accommodated throughout
much of the corridor. However, where the buffer narrows to between 2 and 8-feet in width,
landscape materials such as lower shrubs and xeriscape groundcover will be considered and
determined in the preliminary engineering phase of this project. Where the buffer narrows even
further, to 2-feet or less, hardscape materials will be used and are generally expected to be
stamped and colored concrete.
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The preferred design option best balances all of the safety, modal and project features outlined in
the characteristics table as well as public preferences shared via BeHeardBoulder and public
meetings. The preferred option also meets the policy objectives in the BVCP and goals of the
TMP.
Additional Design Treatments – In addition to multi-use path and buffer improvements, this
project calls for additional design treatments to improve safety and comfort for travelers along
Arapahoe Avenue. These treatments include:
Transit Stop Enhancements – Transit stop enhancements can include a number of
features, including bus shelters, seating, trash receptacles and bicycle racks, all of which
are intended to improve the experience for transit passengers waiting for, or
disembarking from a bus. A number of factors are considered when determining
placement of these enhancements, including the amount of space available, the daily
volume of passenger activity, and proximity to existing or planned bicycle routes and/or
facilities. The project team, with input from community members, evaluated these factors
at each transit stop along the corridor and identified thirteen locations where
enhancements will be constructed or installed.
Unsignalized Crossing Enhancements – The city is committed to the Transportation
Master Plan Vision Zero goal which seeks to eliminate fatal and serious injury collisions
by improving safety for people using all modes of travel. With this goal in mind, the
project team assessed all unsignalized pedestrian crossings along the corridor, which
included side streets and driveways, to determine if the installation of crossing treatments
would reduce vehicular, pedestrian and bicyclist conflicts. Where feasible, enhancements
could include raised crosswalks, curb extensions, and tighter corners, and will be further
evaluated during the preliminary design phase of the project.
NEXT STEPS
Following the July TAB meeting, staff will prepare the CEAP report, which documents the
planning process and evaluation of design options as per the BVCP and TMP goals. For the
CEAP consideration, TAB will hold a public hearing on September 13, 2021 and make a
recommendation to City Council regarding acceptance of the CEAP.
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