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Here’s your chance to help shape the greenway

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Monday, December 7, 2009

(Updated 7:19 am)

By Taft Wireback
Staff Writer

GREENSBORO — Runners, hikers, strollers, bikers and anybody else who likes the outdoors will have the chance Tuesday to help shape the next phase of the Downtown Greenway.

City planners and Action Greensboro are holding two, drop-in-style meetings to gather suggestions for the leg that will track Murrow Boulevard and Fisher Avenue between East Lee and North Eugene streets.

Consultants developed three alternatives as starting points for discussion, all of which make fairly major changes in a road network initially designed as an inner-city expressway.

“Murrow Boulevard particularly was set up to be something that it never became,” said Tyler Meyer, the Greensboro Department of Transportation’s planning manager.

Planners see an opening to reintegrate the road into the surrounding neighborhoods by downsizing it to match the traffic volumes that use it. That can be done without sacrificing traffic safety or driving convenience, Meyer said.

Two meetings will be held at the Central Library.

The greenway will ultimately encircle the center city with a paved trail 4.8 miles long and will cost about $26 million.

The project is a public/private partnership between Action Greensboro, a nonprofit civic group, and city government. It is being financed by local bond money and private contributions.

The greenway’s first phase is complete between West Lee and South Eugene streets, at a cost of $1.3 million. The stretch from there to East Lee and Murrow Boulevard will be built as part of several, upcoming redevelopment projects.

The greenway’s scope along Murrow and Fisher is the big question to settle at the meeting and in a weeklong comment period following it, said Dabney Sanders, Action Greensboro’s special projects consultant.

Because six-lane Murrow is so much larger than its traffic demand, planners could go well beyond a simple trail to the realm of a “linear park.”

“We want to get a sense of what people think about that,” Sanders said. “Can they envision that?”

Project coordinators also hope people will make other suggestions, including cross-routes the greenway should link with and ways to combine different aspects of the three alternatives, Meyer and Sanders said.

There will be no formal presentation at either meeting, but planners will be there to discuss the project.

The alternatives will be online for review and comment until Dec. 16 at www.greensboro-nc.gov this week, Meyer said.

Planners will hold another meeting in January to unveil a recommended design.

Contact Taft Wireback at 373-7100 or taft.wireback@news-record.com

Accompanying Photos

File photo (News & Record)

Photo Caption: Part of the planned Downtown Greenway would run alongside Murrow Boulevard.

WANT TO GO?

What: Greenway planning meetings

Where: Central Library, 219 N. Church St.

When: Two sessions Tuesday — noon to 2 p.m.; 5 to 7 p.m.

More information: 373-4368

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ItsASchwinn

December 14, 2009 - 3:25 pm EST

This project doesn’t seem to be getting the publicity and public input it deserves. Just over 100 people have provided input through the survey since the Dec. 8 public meeting. There are serious issues with Phase 2 that concern cyclists (on and off the Greenway), pedestrians, and anyone that uses the Summit Ave. and Murrow Blvd. interchange. Proposals for Phase 2 and additional information can be found here: http://www.downtowngreenway.org/home/Phase2Input.html .

The three proposals under review have all traffic lanes on Murrow Blvd. at 12’ wide lane width. It is much better for cyclists and motorists to have a wide curb lane. The American Assoc. of State Highway and Transportation Officials (ASHTO) agrees with this and prefers greater than 12’ and recommends 14’ of usable lane width for the curb lane. This could be easily accommodated on the Murrow blvd. plan by reducing an inside lane to 10’ and enlarging the outside lane to 14’. Greensboro, I believe, plans and constructs roadways for all forms of vehicular traffic –including bicycles.

In every proposal there is a safety issue with the connecting ramps at Murrow Blvd. and Summit Ave.. The Greenway crosses the on and off ramps on the east side of Murrow Blvd. creating a severe hazard due to the speed, grade, visibility and angle of intersecting traffic. Some of the people involved in finalizing plans for this project need to review -or read for the first time- the ASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities, and in particular the Shared Use Paths section of the Guide. A bi-directional shared use path (the Downtown Greenway) presents numerous safety problems to be overcome when running adjacent to a roadway.

Another issue with Phase 2 proposals is the fact that the public hasn’t been alerted to the closing of roadway access points at the Murrow Blvd./Summit Ave. interchange. The on and off ramps on the west side of Murrow Blvd. are eliminated in all three of the Greenway concepts. This is required to have sufficient width for the Greenway to travel under the Summit Ave. bridge. In the concept drawings the removal is written as “Possible future removal”, but conversations with those involved indicate this as a requirement. I suspect it would only be a matter of time (after an incident due to the safety issues) before the ramps on the east side of Murrow Blvd. would be closed eliminating all access between Murrow Blvd. and Summit Ave. This change in access should be presented to the public in the proper form and context.

If you look at the eliminated concepts, http://www.downtowngreenway.org/home/documents/EliminatedConcepts.pdf , there was a plan to convert the Murrow Blvd./Summit Ave. interchange into an at-grade intersection. This is a much safer alternative to the existing concepts. It also provides better access for all traffic at the intersection and aligns with the plan to improve the intersection at Murrow Blvd. and Lee St.. This would add less than 10 percent to the cost of the project and eliminate future expense of maintaining and/or replacing the bridge at Murrow Blvd. and Summit Ave.. Another safe alternative would be to close all ramps at Summit Ave. and Murrow Blvd. and replace the south-west ramp with a two way road and signalized T intersection at Murrow Blvd.. There are other issues with safety at the current interchange that would be eliminated with this change also.

Please review the information and provide your input.