City of Delray Beach - File #: 19-039

• File #: 19-039
• Version: 3
• Type: Workshop Item
• Status: Agenda Ready
• File created: 1/3/2019
• In control: City Commission - Workshop
• On agenda: 1/22/2019
• Title: SWINTON AVENUE FROM S. 10TH STREET TO N. 4TH STREET TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AGENCY (TPA) PROJECT: PRESENTATION OF DESIGN ALTERNATIVES
• Sponsors: Public Works Department
• Related files: 19-219

TO:                                          Mayor and Commissioners

FROM:                     Caryn Gardner-Young, City Manager's Office

THROUGH:                     Mark R. Lauzier, City Manager

DATE:                     January 22, 2019

Title

SWINTON AVENUE FROM S. 10TH STREET TO N. 4TH STREET TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AGENCY (TPA) PROJECT: PRESENTATION OF DESIGN ALTERNATIVES

Body

Recommended Action:

Recommendation

Provide direction regarding the City's preference of the design alternatives to deliver the Swinton Avenue project.

Body

Background:

The City of Delray Beach (City) prepared a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) (presently called the Transportation Planning Agency (TPA)) grant application in February 2015 for “…continuous bicycle lanes and sidewalks…” from S 10^th Street to N 4^th Street on Swinton Avenue and along 4^th Street from Swinton Avenue to NE 2^nd Avenue. The grant application was approved to commission on February 24, 2015, signed by Mayor Glickstein and submitted to the TPA for consideration.  The project was selected by the TPA for funding.  The funding for the TPA grant projects is administered by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).  The City elected to have the project delivered (design and constructed) with FDOT’s project management resources.  This was approved by resolution by the City commission on June 20, 2017.

The FDOT executed an agreement with their design consultant, Trace Consultants, Inc. (Trace) for design services for the City’s Swinton Avenue project from South 10^th Street to NE 4^th Street in September 2017.  The 30% design deliverable was received for review in August 2018 and the public outreach event was scheduled for November 2018. The 30% design was for separated bicycle lanes from S 10^th Street to S 2^nd Street and from N 2^nd Street to N 4^th Street and for sharrows (bicycles sharing the vehicular driving lanes) from S 2^nd Street to N 2^nd Street.

During the public outreach event held November 27, 2018 the City, FDOT and Trace received substantial public feedback about the landscape impacts in the historic district as the separated bicycle lanes proposed in the 30% design were impacting some of the established landscaping in the area.  The project as originally designed was impacting 33 trees in the historic district.  Since the original design, Trace has made modifications to the design including reducing the shoulder from 8 feet to 6 feet and redesigning the stormwater management improvements to minimize the tree impacts in the historic district from the original 33 to only 12.

If the City desires to maintain the current proposed design of separated bicycle lanes from S 10^th Street to S 2^nd Street and from N 2^nd Street to N 4^th Street; the tree impacts in the historic district would remain at 12.  If the City elects to proceed with sharrows (bicycles sharing the vehicular driving lanes) from S 2^nd Street to N 4^th Street; the tree loses in the historic district would be minimized to 0.

The TPA, FDOT, Trace and City Staff will present this information to commission for discussion and guidance on proposed path forward for the Swinton Avenue project.

City Attorney Review:

N/A

Funding Source/Financial Impact:

N/A - Determination of path forward on project.

Timing of Request:

This request is time-sensitive in maintaining FDOT’s project schedule.