Committee flags King(s) Valley/Allendale and other intersections, and new BLTS concerns for bicyclists

Committee members and project staff said model outputs identify a handful of locations that will not meet mobility targets under the baseline future-conditions scenario and discussed how to address those problems.

Erica (a presenter on the multimodal analysis) told the committee that three intersections are likely to exceed their mobility targets by 2045: Leavens & Bellandale, Ellendale & Kings Valley on Kingstell Highway, and one location near Villa. She also said two additional locations are close to thresholds and could see congestion.

The team added intersection-level bicycle level-of-traffic-stress (BLTS) analysis at Allendale & Kings Valley after finding that while segment-level BLTS appeared moderate, the intersection maneuvers exposed bicyclists to high-stress conflict zones. "Once you're actually in that intersection...the bicyclist is essentially exposed to the vehicle," the presenter said when explaining why the intersection was flagged.

Committee members proposed targeted mitigations: operational signal upgrades, complex striping and green paint through conflict zones, bicycle signal heads or a protected intersection and additional street connections to offload demand. Jason recommended adding a separate bicycle signal phase at Kings Valley & Ellendale to reduce exposure; the presenter said such options will be evaluated during intersection control or signal studies.

Why it matters: These intersections influence travel reliability, safety and multimodal access across the city; options include capital signal work, redesigns (roundabouts or protected intersections), new street links to redistribute traffic, and changing mobility targets where justified by local circumstances.

Next steps: The project team will carry intersection candidates forward for more detailed operational evaluation and incorporate committee feedback into the draft TSP materials for public review.