Euclid Avenue is a minor urban arterial and is considered the northern boundary of the University of Kentucky campus. The project involved resurfacing and re-striping of an existing four-lane road into a three-lane roadway with bike lanes over a distance of approximately 0.80 miles. The route serves local traffic and regional commuters, has a mixed land use of retail and housing, carries a significant traffic volume (20,000 ADT), carries significant pedestrian and bicycle volumes, and is used as the connector between the University and residential areas to the south. There was one construction phase for the project.
Purpose and Neeed
The purpose of this project was improvement of "mobility" needs of the area due to congestion at some intersections along the corridor. Efforts to improve mobility and safety of pedestrians were also incorporated later as a result of public involvement.
Context-Sensitive Factors
A number of issues dealing with public involvement and promotion of multi-modalism were central to this process. Context-sensitive design issues implemented as part of the Euclid Avenue project included the following:
A public involvement meeting was set up to present the proposed alternative and solicit input on how the plan was viewed by the public. Neighborhood and special interests groups attended the meeting.
The use of simulation techniques to evaluate possible alternative designs was employed. This approach documented the relative gains from each alternative over the existing conditions.
Bike lanes along the entire corridor.
Use of a single corridor for all modes of transportation, i.e. passenger cars, public transportation, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
History of Project
Euclid Avenue is a minor arterial that serves as a connector between the University of Kentucky and several residential areas to the east and south. The roadway is used both by local residents and commuters residing in various residential developments bordering the University. There is a heavy pedestrian and bicyclist traffic as well as several shopping areas along the corridor. The road is a state-maintained roadway and funds were allocated for resurfacing. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet initially envisioned as a solution to the congestion issues the conversion of the roadway to a five-lane road without acquiring any additional right of way. The plan was presented at a public meeting and it faced significant opposition by the neighborhood representatives and special interest groups. Pedestrian and bicyclist needs were not considered and safety concerns were raised due to the narrow width of the lanes proposed. An alternative plan of a three-lane roadway with bike lanes was proposed and the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Kentucky was asked to perform an evaluation study of the alternatives. The results were presented at a City Council meeting and it was decided to adopt the alternative plan and provide bike lanes along the entire corridor.
Euclid Avenue - Lexington, KY PDF
