Urban Roadway Design Balancing Safety, Aesthetics and Community Needs

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Urban Roadway Design Balancing Safety,
Aesthetics and Community Needs

• WSDOTs Safety, Aesthetics, and Context-Sensitive
  Design Effort
• Brian Hasselbach
• Washington State Dept. of Transportation HQ
  Design Office

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Goal of this Presentation

• Provide an introduction to the Departments
  Safety, Aesthetics and CSD effort
• This efforts work in developing design guidance
  for urban arterial roadways
• Recent products from the group
• Whats on the horizon

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What Context-Sensitive Solutions Is

• a tool that considers the flexibility within
  current guidance, laws, and regs
• meaningful, collaborative interaction with all
  stakeholders considering all needs
• optimizes safety for both user and the community
• efficient and effective use of resources
• designed with consideration to community values
  and resources

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What Context-Sensitive Solutions Is NOT

• CSS does not imply that we should set aside good
  design practices at any cost

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Who Does this Apply To?

• EVERYONE!
• fundamental philosophy of CSS collaborative,
  meaningful communication
• good tool for reducing potential delays
• CSS gt Context-Sensitive Design, community
  partnerships, CIA, etc. Different names,
  similar philosophies Many of us already engaged
  in it

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Why go to the trouble?

• Need to reconcile safety needs vs. aesthetic
  desires
• FHWAs embrace of CSS and push for widespread use
• Commission Policy
• Washingtons Transportation Plan 2003-2022,
  Goals 9 and 10
• Goal 9 Effective Community-Based Design
• Goal 10 Collaborative Decision Making

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Safety, Aesthetics and Context-Sensitive Design
Effort

• Implement a multi-faceted effort to insert the
  fundamental principles of CSS into the way we do
  business
• How?
• Formation of Interdisciplinary group (Cities,
  Counties, AWC, CRAB, FHWA, regional planning
  councils, various WSDOT disciplines)
• Establish two-way communication
• Identifies urban design issues and task-focused
  teams

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The IDGs Sub-Committees and Task Groups

• Urban Clear Zone Task Group
• Aesthetic Roadside Treatment Brochures
• In-Service Evaluation of Urban Medians
• Urban Arterial Guidance

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Urban Clear Zone Task Group

• Multi-jurisdictional task group charged with
• Discussing how WSDOT policies impact local
  agencies
• Identification of issues regarding clear zone and
  impacts
• Options for clarifying clear zone policy

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Aesthetic Roadside Treatment Brochures

• Developing a series of informational brochures to
  describe available options for aesthetic urban
  design features
• The Urban Design Alternatives Medians and
  Roadsides is now available on-line

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In-Service Evaluation of Urban Median Design
Concepts

• Group is coordinating an evaluation of several
  new urban median design concepts
• Highway 99, south of Seattle
• Multiple communities w/different contexts and
  needs
• 3 year research projects, coordinating with UW
  TRAC evaluate performance of urban median
  designs on 35-45 mph arterials

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Urban Arterial Guidance

• Design Manual generally focuses on freeway, rural
  and high speed arterial highway-type design
• What do we do in urbanized areas?
• Effort underway to develop a companion document
  to the Design Manual
• Considerations associated with highway design
• What is the consideration why is it important
  and what are the trade-offs?
• Optimize competing needs and resources

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Status of document?

• In development currently drafting chapters and
  engaging in reviews
• Aggressive schedule hoping to have a
  publication available by the fall
• Important to recognize the intent of the document
  prompt thinking, not provide additional design
  guidance and criteria

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Other WSDOT Efforts

• Urban Roadside Funding Issues Group
• Determine standard levels for WSDOTs funding
  participation of roadside elements
• Local Programs Community Partnerships Forum
• Building Projects that Build Communities
  guidebook
• Jurisdictional Roles and Responsibilities
• Tasked w/clarifying the design responsibilities
  b/n cities/towns and WSDOT

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For more information

• Brian Hasselbach, [phone],
  hasselb_at_wsdot.wa.gov
• Safety, Aesthetics and CSD web-page
• http//www.wsdot.wa.gov/eesc/design/Urban/Safety,A
  esthetics,ContextSensitiveDesign.htm