*reprinted from the May 2014 Rockridge News

The latest plans for pedestrian crossing, bikeway, lane configuration and related improvements on Broadway between College Avenue and Ocean View Drive will be presented by city staff Thursday, May 29, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Rockridge Branch Library community meeting room on the second floor.

Following review of a traffic study, plans are moving forward on the project, which is intended to improve safety in the corridor for all roadway users.

The project includes the following components:

• Resurfacing the roadway
• Reducing the number of traffic lanes from four to three (one lane in each direction, with a two-way center turn lane, steps sometimes referred to as a road diet)
• Adding bicycle lanes on both sides of the street
• Installation of a pedestrian-activated HAWK (High-intensity Activated crossWalK beacon*) signal at Lawton Avenue
• Improved, high-visibility crosswalks at all intersections
• No changes to existing on-street parking
• Constructing bulb-outs at Taft Avenue, Kales Avenue and Ada Street.

The design that will be presented on May 29 takes into account comments received at a November 2013 community meeting about the project and the results of the recent traffic study.

Project designers also considered a traffic jam on Broadway occurring February 19, 2014, the result of a crash on eastbound SR-24 in Orinda. Traffic backed up through the Caldecott Tunnel and onto the Brookside freeway on-ramp and Broadway. This collision coincided with PG&E’s closing of a northbound traffic lane on Broadway during some utility work, creating a considerable backup.

The intersection improvements at Ocean View and Lawton are funded through Caldecott settlement agreement funds. Other project components, such as the resurfacing, striping and improvements to other intersections will be funded through other city sources.

For more information, contact the city’s Caldecott projects consultant, Victoria Eisen: victoria@eisenletunic.com or 510/525-0220.

* Ed. Note: A HAWK beacon (High-intensity Activated crossWalK beacon) is a traffic signal used to stop road traffic and allow pedestrians to cross safely. It is officially known as a “Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon” (PHB). The purpose of a HAWK beacon is to allow protected pedestrian crossings, stopping road traffic only as needed. [From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HAWK_beacon.]