Council hears Bloomington Ferry Road visioning study proposing 'right-sizing,' improved crossings and green infrastructure

City of Bloomington staff and consultant SRF presented a corridor visioning study for Bloomington Ferry Road at the July 28 study session, outlining recommendations to reduce roadway footprint, improve pedestrian and bicycle facilities and increase green infrastructure. Amy Miron, Bloomington assistant traffic engineer, and Philip Kulis of SRF Consulting described a 2.7‑mile corridor study from the pedestrian bridge over Bloomington Ferry to Van Ness/Ensing that aims to “right‑size” the pavement and make the corridor more sustainable.

The study matters because Bloomington Ferry Road currently is four lanes with lower traffic than in past decades; Miron and SRF reported daily traffic in the corridor between about 3,500 and 7,000 vehicles—well below the roughly 15,000 vehicles-per-day threshold used for four‑lane decisions—suggesting excess vehicular capacity and long‑term maintenance costs. The study also flagged one…