Commission reviews design options for Jackson Street bikeway near Ocean View Elementary; staff favors a protected approach

Albany City staff and project consultants presented three design options Feb. 26 for the Jackson Street bikeway transition near Ocean View Elementary, and the commission and public generally favored the option that keeps cyclists in a dedicated lane up to the intersection.

Staff introduced the project as an extension of an existing mixed-use path adjacent to a graduate student housing project and described a planned 8-foot separated northbound bikeway with buffer on the east side of Jackson Street, continuing to Buchanan Street. Mike, a staff project lead, said the project would relocate a fence, provide an off-street connection to Buchanan and extend protected facilities to link to the city's network.

Consultant Andrew Lee presented three transition concepts for northbound cyclists approaching Buchanan:

- Option A: an earlier ramp down from the raised path into a shared vehicle lane (less preferred because vehicle queues can block the ramp). - Option B: extend a separated bike lane up to the intersection with a marked bike-box at the stop bar and operate the intersection with no right turns on red so bicyclists are protected in the storage area. - Option C: a dashed leading bike lane that allows right turns through the dashed area (more permissive of vehicle movement but provides less protection for cyclists).

The consultants' traffic modeling found that peak-hour vehicle queues during school drop-off and pick-up could extend back and block a ramp placed too far from the intersection. That operational constraint was an important factor in favoring an extended separated lane and bike-box (Option B) rather than a ramp-down farther from the intersection.

Parents and community members urged designs that keep children out of vehicle traffic. "Given the volume of cars and the often tense conditions before and after school, it is not safe for cyclists, especially children, to share the road as they approach the intersection," said Carrie Schulman, whose children attend Ocean View Elementary. Commenters asked the commission to prohibit right turns on red at the intersection in school periods or at all times, add hardened buffers or low-profile posts and ensure the signal has appropriate bicycle/pedestrian timing (leading intervals) so students are not required to press pushbuttons or mix with turning cars.

Staff noted some mitigation measures are operational and can be implemented soon (no-right-on-red signs, signal timing adjustments, static signs), while others (dynamic electrical signs, raised buffers) could require additional design, right-of-way or electrical work and may not fit the federal grant schedule staff is trying to meet this year. Staff said funding and federal grant obligation timelines make progressing the construction-ready design this calendar year a priority. One staff member warned that delaying this federally funded project could jeopardize approximately $1.5 million in grant obligations for related corridor work.

Commissioners generally expressed a preference for Option B or for moving the ramp forward as far as utilities allow so cyclists can remain in a dedicated facility through the intersection. Technical fixes requested by commissioners and the public included adding sharrow markings in turn lanes where appropriate, providing a short hardened or hatched buffer at the transition, and confirming whether the signal controller can accommodate leading pedestrian/bicycle intervals.

What happens next: staff said they will refine the design to address queueing and sightline concerns, explore whether a ramp can be moved closer to the intersection, and consider operational measures such as a right-turn-on-red prohibition and signal timing adjustments. The project team stressed they need to secure right-of-way and finalize design to meet grant-obligation timelines.

Attribution note: quotes are drawn from public commenters and consultants during the Feb. 26 meeting. The commission did not adopt a final design at this meeting; staff will advance a refined design for future review.