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Council endorses budget‑sensitive Pearl Street multimodal alternative, asks staff to refine westbound configuration
Summary
After a lengthy presentation and public comment, the council endorsed Stantec’s 2025 refined Pearl Street alternative — a 10‑foot separated shared‑use path, an eastbound transit stop and lane‑reduction paint treatments — with a condition that staff return for direction before final design on the westbound lane configuration.
The Essex Junction City Council on Nov. 12 endorsed a refined, budget‑constrained design for multimodal improvements along Pearl Street (Route 15) after a technical presentation from Stantec and extended discussion about traffic, safety and winter maintenance.
Consultant Sean Neely explained the 2025 refined alternative would maintain existing curbs, install a 10‑foot separated shared‑use path buffered by a 5‑foot grass strip, add an eastbound transit stop with a mid‑block pedestrian crossing and rectangular rapid‑flashing beacons (RRFBs), and convert some westbound pavement to a single travel lane with a buffered on‑road bike lane. Neely said the alternative is the only option that fits the city’s available capital programming of roughly $1.2–$1.23 million. He noted larger alternatives that remove the raised median would raise project costs substantially — earlier analysis put a 2018 preferred alternative at roughly $2.6 million (about $4.0 million in 2025 dollars) and full median removal could cost roughly $1.8 million in 2025 dollars in addition to other elements.
Council discussion focused on safety gains for pedestrians and cyclists versus concerns about westbound vehicle capacity, emergency access, and winter maintenance of paint‑separated bike lanes. Councilor Tim said, "I have a problem with any sort of reduction in westbound traffic…" and raised concerns about event traffic to the Champlain Valley Expo and future housing‑driven vehicle growth. Neely and staff responded that the design maintains sufficient dual approach lanes in advance of the Susie Wilson Road intersection, that the mid‑block crossing would reduce pedestrian exposure by letting people cross one lane at a time, and that the painted treatment could be tested with temporary cones and easily reverted if operations proved unsatisfactory.
The council voted to endorse the 2025 refined alternative as the city’s preferred near‑term option but attached a condition asking staff to return before final design with options for the westbound configuration and with responses to the traffic and emergency‑access concerns. Staff said the paint‑based elements and phasing allow for modifications during design and that raised bollards, additional signage, or temporary field tests could be used where needed.
The endorsement preserves the project’s eligibility for currently allocated capital funds and lets design move forward; staff and the consulting team will return with refined design decisions ahead of final design to confirm the preferred westbound treatment.
