Why?
The City is continuing to expand walking and biking opportunities throughout the City and has identified the need to expand the SE May Creek Park Drive corridor to better serve our community. As our community grows, we need to ensure that this old rural road grows with it. Improvements to this vital corridor will include roadway widening to accommodate bike lanes, sidewalks and landscaping along with other safety and environmental improvements.
Current Conditions:
SE May Creek Park Drive is a significant east-west corridor that meanders through the south end of the City, extending from the western City Limits to Coal Creek Parkway, providing direct access to various residential neighborhoods and single-family residences. The entire length of the corridor is over 9,700 linear feet and currently has defined bicycle and pedestrian improvements on 3,500 feet, or 36 percent of the entire length.
Currently, the roadway consists of two 10- to 12-foot-wide travel lanes with narrow paved shoulders on both sides. Beyond the shoulders, the roadway is bordered by ditches, culverts, private driveways, landscaping, shrubs, mailboxes, utility poles, fences, and small retaining walls. These roadside elements are obstacles that both bicyclists and pedestrians need to avoid to use the corridor.
Concept Design:
The rationale behind the concept design is to provide an efficient, safe and environmentally sensitive street that is responsive to the mobility needs of the community. Design features currently include:
- SE 86th Place (City Limits) to NE 35th Street: revise the existing pavement markings to provide a travel lane and buffered bike lane in each direction. A buffered bike lane is a designated space separating the bike lane from the travel lane.
- NE 35th Street to 116th Avenue SE: road widening to accommodate a bike lane in each direction with new curb, gutter, sidewalk and landscaping on the north side.
- 116th Avenue SE to 121st Avenue SE: road widening to accommodate a bike lane in the west bound direction with new curb, gutter, sidewalk and landscaping on the north side.
- A Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) at the pedestrian crossing at 121st Avenue SE.