NDOT to post Beach Bend traffic-calming plan for neighborhood ballot after small tweak

NDOT consultants presented an updated traffic-calming plan for Beach Bend Drive and said they will move one proposed speed-cushion location before posting the plan for a six‑week neighborhood ballot.

Amy Birch, an NDOT consultant who led the meeting, said Beach Bend was selected from more than 700 applicant streets for the 2025 program because measured 85th‑percentile speeds reached about 37 miles per hour on a posted 25 mph street. Birch said the program uses a five‑criteria, data‑driven prioritization system and that Beach Bend’s speed and volume metrics put it among 25 streets selected this cycle.

The proposed package includes three pairs of rubberized speed cushions spaced along the street, two pairs of radar feedback signs and regulatory signage. Birch described speed cushions as modular devices drilled into pavement that include gaps sized to allow emergency vehicles to straddle them; she said before‑and‑after monitoring from other projects showed average speeds falling from about 31 mph to about 22 mph and an 85th‑percentile example dropping from 37 mph to 25 mph following installations.

Residents asked whether large emergency vehicles and snow‑removal equipment could safely pass and whether the devices would cause noise, mailbox damage or drainage problems. Peter Robinson, a member of Metro’s Vision 0 advisory committee, said his neighborhood’s experience showed “people slow down” and that fire apparatus with wide axles generally can straddle cushions. Several residents said they have concerns about a cushion placed near driveways and about noise for nearby houses.

Birch acknowledged those concerns and said NDOT would research fire department input, consider shifts in delineator placement and move the first set of cushions away from Old Harding Pike as discussed in the meeting. She reiterated that if the ballot does not reach the approval threshold, NDOT would not install vertical measures and would instead consider additional radar feedback signs or other non‑vertical treatments.

NDOT explained the neighborhood approval process: the agency will mail a postcard with a unique ID and provide an online ballot; voting will be open for six weeks and is one vote per eligible household or property that abuts the right‑of‑way. Birch said about 100 eligible properties will receive ballots for Beach Bend and that at least 66% of respondents must vote yes for the project to proceed. Results will be posted online about a week after counting is completed.

NDOT staff encouraged neighbors to watch for mailed postcards, to review the posted plan (accessible via the project QR code) and to share voting information with neighbors. The agency said it expects to post the revised plan and mail the postcards in roughly 2–3 weeks, then start the six‑week voting window.