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Council approves Lraine Road design RFP; short‑term ‘road diet’ and signal upgrades recommended
Summary
Council approved Ordinance 2626 to authorize RFPs for final design on the Lraine Road corridor after hearing American StructurePoint’s recommendations for a short‑term road diet, curb bumpouts, signal timing upgrades and longer‑term shared‑use paths; estimated short‑term cost: $6.6 million with $4.4 million local share.
Council voted to advance the Lraine Road infrastructure project by placing Ordinance 2626 for third reading and final passage, approving authorization for RFPs for professional design services.
What was recommended: American StructurePoint engineers recommended a short‑term road diet in the downtown corridor that retains parking and adds curb bumpouts to improve pedestrian safety, signal upgrades with emergency vehicle preemption and optimization along the corridor, and a set of long‑term options that could include shared‑use paths, center medians and roundabouts at key intersections. The short‑term project was estimated at about $6.6 million; the current local funding stack provides roughly $4.4 million of the proposed local share.
Council concerns and response: Council members raised questions about visibility and safety on angled streets in some wards, the effect of increased street parking on side‑street delays, snow‑plow operations with bumpouts, and the need for turn lanes at specific intersections if lane reductions extend farther east. Engineer Anthony Pisanelli said right‑of‑way acquisition and some long‑term changes would be lengthy processes and that the immediate work is meant to be achievable with striping, resurfacing, signal adjustments and targeted curb work.
Vote: The ordinance passed on final reading by roll call with six yes votes and one no (Mrs. Wearing).
Next steps: Council authorized RFPs for final design to produce a reliable construction budget and asked to receive additional input during the final design phase before implementation of choices that will affect specific wards. Construction was discussed as targeted for 2029 in preliminary schedules.
Ending: With RFP authorization, staff will pursue design procurement and additional funding opportunities while council reserved the right to review final design decisions affecting individual wards.
