Morgantown gearing up for ‘fast response’ pedestrian tasks

MORGANTOWN — Morgantown Workers Engineer Drew Gatlin mentioned residents throughout town will see a slate of small, comparatively cheap pedestrian enhancements applied within the coming months. 

Talking earlier than Morgantown Metropolis Council, Gatlin defined this will likely be thought-about “12 months zero” of a concerted, annual effort by town to deal with sidewalks and pedestrian infrastructure.  

The plan is to make the most of not more than half of council’s $1 million American Rescue Plan Act allocation for sidewalks on these “rapid-response tasks” whereas bigger tasks are below evaluation.    

“We wish to be sure we manage to pay for to finish the planning course of and critical engineering stage plans for classy first-year tasks after 12 months zero, which that is 12 months zero,” Gatlin mentioned.   

These rapid-response initiatives had been chosen by pulling the highest 93 (of some 750) tasks recognized within the Morgantown Monongalia Metropolitan Planning Group’s 2020 Regional Bike and Transportation Plan. 

Then Gatlin, working with the Morgantown Site visitors Fee and Pedestrian Security Board, started sorting and rating the checklist utilizing particular standards: Price — the entire group ought to keep below $500,000; visibility — the tasks have to be in high-use areas and signify each ward within the metropolis; threat — will the work be reliant on another person for property or approval? 

The tasks atop the checklist embody: 

• Site visitors calming and wayfinding on the entrance to and inside the South Hills neighborhood. 

• A crosswalk, sidewalk and different enhancements on Eureka Drive, on the Wiles Hill Neighborhood Heart. 

• A contraflow bike lane between the sidewalk and a parking lane on Prospect Avenue between College Avenue and Willey Avenue. 

• A brand new crosswalk with rectangular fast flashing beacons and a site visitors calming bump out on the intersection of Dorsey Avenue and Wagner Street. 

• A brand new sidewalk on Oakland Avenue between W. Everly Avenue and Harding Avenue. 

• Upgraded pedestrian reference to signage, lighting and pavement between Selwin Avenue/Congress Avenue and Lawnview Drive. That is a part of town’s secure route to highschool infrastructure. 

• Upgraded pedestrian connection between Baldwin Avenue and the realm close to Panera Bread and Wendy’s, off Patteson Drive. This was previously a part of Rawley Lane. 

Most, however not all of the tasks included on the checklist, might be accomplished with out at the very least some cooperation from the West Virginia Division of Highways. 

There are two notable exceptions. 

The primary is a brand new crosswalk with fast flashing beacons on College Avenue at Junior Avenue and Mulberry Avenue. 

Presently, the stretch of College Avenue from Patteson Drive via Star Metropolis has no managed intersections. 

“We’re hoping the DOH sees the sunshine once we present them some preliminary designs and mainly supply to pay for this,” Gatlin mentioned, including “One in all these intersections we wish to have controls at.”   

One other high-priority undertaking requiring DOH approval is a crosswalk with rapid-flashing beacons, or perhaps a raised pedestrian island, on the intersection of Brockway Avenue and Kingwood Avenue. 

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