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Brighton presents Bridge Street circulation plan emphasizing pedestrian safety while retaining four lanes
Summary
Consultants recommended a modified four‑lane alternative for Bridge Street that widens a south‑side side path, adds medians and intersection safety upgrades; consultants cited ~600 crashes over five years and reported majority public support for the preferred alternative; short‑term signal/striping work can begin while longer projects await funding.
Consultants and city staff presented the Brighton core city circulation study for Bridge Street, a corridor identified in safety plans and the city’s multimodal vision. The study recommends a modified version of the four‑lane cross section that preserves vehicle throughput while adding a wider south‑side side path (approximate 9 feet in typical sections), raised medians between turn pockets, improved crossings and targeted roundabout/striping upgrades.
"The top priorities are first, safety and connectivity for people walking and rolling," said Annie Rice, the project planner with tool design. The team presented crash data showing about 600 crashes along the study segment over five years and highlighted roundabout crash counts that stood out in the analysis.
Rice described three alternatives the team evaluated: (1) the four‑lane option with medians and a widened side path, (2) an in‑street protected bike lane option that reduces through lanes, and (3) a raised bike lane option that prioritizes biking and walking. Based on the evaluation criteria and public engagement, the preferred approach is a modified option 1 to balance multimodal safety, bus operations and driver throughput.
Council members asked detailed questions about lane widths, semitruck access and near‑term implementation. Councilmember Green cautioned about reducing lanes to typical 10‑ft widths where semis operate, while consultants noted the cross‑section diagrams do not include curb and gutter, and that an outside travel lane adjacent to curb would effectively feel wider. Staff emphasized that many short‑term improvements—signal retiming, restriping, new pedestrian crossings and targeted intersection changes—can be implemented quickly or phased through TPIP and grant programs; longer corridor reconstruction would follow funding availability.
Public engagement results showed majority support for the recommended approach, with roughly two‑thirds of survey respondents agreeing with the selected alternative and additional participants partly supportive with comments. Consultants recommended a package of short‑, medium‑ and long‑term projects with prioritized safety actions identified as short term.
Council members indicated willingness to provide consensus to roll the concept into the transportation master plan and CIP and to pursue funding opportunities; staff will return with programming and phasing details for implementation planning.
