Addison council hears draft 2025 master transportation plan calling for context‑sensitive street design, cross‑sections, safety toolbox and speed‑limit studies

Consultants and town staff presented Addison’s draft 2025 Master Transportation Plan at the Sept. 9 meeting, describing an update to the 2016 plan that embeds context‑sensitive street cross‑sections, a pedestrian toolbox, traffic‑calming measures, and targeted recommendations for future projects.

Christian DeLuca, a consultant with McKinley Horn and Associates, told the council the update is “Addison’s road map to making it safer, easier, and more enjoyable to get around,” and that the plan integrates earlier efforts including the 2016 master transportation plan, the 2021 citywide trails master plan and recommendations from the Addison 2050 process.

Key technical findings presented included: an analysis of traffic volumes showing largely stable arterial travel but localized growth near redevelopment; a crash study of about 2,500 incidents over five years that identified distracted driving and speed as leading contributing factors and located clusters of pedestrian and bicycle crashes along Belt Line and Quorum; and a level‑of‑service analysis that flagged a small portion of roadways for attention (including Marsh Lane, Westgrove and portions of Surveyor).

The plan proposes six flexible cross‑sections — from principal arterial to residential local — with ranges for elements such as sidewalks (for example, 6 to 10 feet on principal arterials) rather than rigid fixed dimensions. DeLuca said the approach would “allow flexibility when you’re designing certain segments and also working with developers” and support redevelopment in the Inwood enhancement zone.

Planned tools include a pedestrian toolbox with marked crosswalks, pedestrian hybrid beacons, refuge islands and curb ramps; a traffic‑calming toolbox with raised intersections, radar speed signs and curb extensions; and a speed‑limit evaluation proposal that uses engineering judgment and INRIX speed‑trend data. DeLuca recommended engineering speed studies that could lower posted limits on West Grove Drive, Addison Road, Keller Springs and other corridors where pedestrian risk is high and observed 85th‑percentile speeds exceed posted limits.

Councilmembers asked for follow‑up materials and more detail on several items: how pedestrian crash data distinguish between crossings at marked crosswalks and mid‑block incidents, which speed studies would be prioritized, and whether micromobility or scooter programs were part of the plan. DeLuca said micromobility elements in the draft were drawn from the citywide trails plan and “we’re not stating that we’re moving forward with any of those projects. Those would be something that comes from council direction.”

Staff and the consultant said they would return with a fuller discussion and additional maps and data at a later meeting; the council agreed to hold the substantive discussion at a subsequent session to allow members time to review the 200‑page draft report and the slide packet.