09 - Church Street Reconstruction Project

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7-4-2018 4. Safety - Sidewalk design must consider the safety of the pedestrians who are to use it. Urban design concepts encourage as much separation as is available for a buffer between pedestrians and vehicles. In residential areas, where small children and families routinely walk or ride bikes, a healthy buffer creates a physical barrier between the sidewalk and the street. Even TxDOT design criteria considers the importance of pedestrian safety in urban design. The following is an excerpt from the TxDOT Roadway Design Manual: Sidewalk Width. Sidewalks should be wide enough to accommodate the volume and type of pedestrian traffic expected in the area. The minimum clear sidewalk width is 5 ft. Where a sidewalk is placed immediately adjacent to the curb as shown in Figure 2-7(B), a sidewalk width of 6 ft is recommended to allow additional space for street and highway hardware and allow for the proximity of moving traffic. Sidewalk widths of 8 ft or more may be appropriate in commercial areas, along school routes, and other areas with concentrated pedestrian traffic. 5. Historical Appropriateness — And finally, while sidewalks are not typically considered as historically relevant regarding preservation or other design requirements, staff felt it was important to maintain/improve the look and feel of the residential historic district by replicating the original sidewalks as much as practicable. The sidewalks along Church Street consist of both the commercial type, located at back of curb along the First Baptist Church, the parking lots and the funeral home, as well as the typical residential type, with a grassy strip provided for a buffer between pedestrians and vehicles along residential properties. These strips are in place in many other areas as well, including Clark Ln, South Main, 1st SW, South Collegiate, Grand Ave, 6th SE, 81h SE, etc. Opportunities: 1. Flexibility —A separation between curb and sidewalk allows the contractor to match the existing ground at the ROW line, without further grading into the front yards. Minor differences in slope can be achieved across the grassy strip while avoiding an increased slope in the front yard. 2. Utility Location — Because the utilty poles cannot be moved to the back of sidewalk, a grass strip provides a camouflaged space for poles, without affecting the look of the sidewalk. 3. Intersection/Curb Ramp Design — A separation between curb and sidewalk improves the constructability and appearance of the curb ramps located at intersections. Where no separation is provided, the street curb must transition with the sidewalk, creating a more commercial look and feel to the intersection.