Committee reviews 2025 Randolph street reconstruction plan, discusses bike and pedestrian treatments near elementary school

City staff presented the committee with the proposed 2025 street reconstruction plan for Randolph Street and adjacent segments during the Feb. 13 Infrastructure and Facilities Committee meeting, and the committee discussed pedestrian and bicycle design choices intended to improve safety near an elementary school.

TJ, city staff, said the project used the Safe Routes to School plan as a template and that the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee reviewed and agreed with the recommendations in January. "For the entire length of the street, we are going to be adding what's called an urban shoulder," TJ said, describing a marked area seven feet from the face of curb that will be used for parking when allowed and as a shared space for bicyclists when parking is restricted.

Staff said the design will include center lines intended to narrow driver perception of the roadway and help calm traffic. For crossings, the plan applies high-visibility crosswalks for mid-block or non-stop-controlled crossings near schools and the city's typical crosswalk markings at stop-controlled intersections.

A specific safety concern arose at a curved stretch where two large culverts pass under the road and a 12-foot driveway creates a sight‑limited corner for cyclists traveling westbound from Burrick onto Randolph. Staff recommended allowing bicyclists to use the north-side sidewalk only through that curve so riders can return to the roadway at a driveway where the urban shoulder resumes. TJ said the recommendation was supported by the Safe Routes to School plan and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee; staff plans to return with additional mapping (including a parks parking-lot driveway not shown on the current sheet) next month.

Committee members asked whether other advisory bodies might weigh in on such street-design recommendations and discussed routing and transition points where cyclists would move between the roadway and the sidewalk. No formal action was agendized or taken on the reconstruction plan; staff will bring additional information back to the committee in a future meeting.