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Council asks staff to design lower-cost crosswalk/refuge options for Hygiea/Leucadia intersection after years of delay on roundabout
Summary
With a long-running roundabout plan stalled, the council directed staff to develop and cost lower-cost interim designs (4-way stop with crosswalks and refuge options) and return with alternatives and cost estimates.
The council heard a council-initiated proposal to develop a lower-cost, implementable safety plan for the Hygiea Avenue / Leucadia Boulevard intersection.
Background: the three-roundabout scheme for three closely spaced intersections along Leucadia Boulevard has been discussed by the community and city bodies for more than two decades. Speakers for the longstanding roundabout plan said the project has been supported by previous councils and commissions but repeatedly delayed for cost and prioritization reasons. At the April meeting several residents urged the council to proceed with the roundabout funding and construction.
Council member Kellie O'Hara proposed an interim, lower-cost alternative: redesigning the intersection as a marked 4-way stop with up to four crosswalks, pedestrian refuge islands (options for 4-foot or 6-foot islands), and quick-build (cost-effective) island options to improve pedestrian safety on known walking and school routes. The design concept would prioritize East-West pedestrian crossings to help students and neighborhood users and would be treated as an option to pursue while the larger roundabout project remains unfunded.
Discussion touched on technical tradeoffs: staff noted sight lines and sidewalk continuity on some legs, legal/traffic standards that limit flashing beacon choices for stop-controlled intersections (per MUTCD), and the need to maintain safe vehicle sight lines if stop lines are pulled back. Council members asked staff to test both quick-build and permanent island options and to prepare cost estimates and a recommended design that can be used as an interim safety investment or as a precursor to a future roundabout. Staff said a preliminary design and community input can be produced and returned to council; staff is already beginning preliminary work.
Action: Council voted unanimously (Deputy Mayor Lyons absent) to send the concept to staff for analysis and return with design alternatives, cost estimates and quick-build vs. permanent construction options.
Council emphasized the city's dual goals: take practical immediate steps to improve pedestrian safety on a well-used school and beach route, and preserve the option of a roundabout if/when funding and project approvals allow.
