District VI, Florida Department of Transportation SE 2 nd Avenue and SE 4 th Street/Biscayne Boulevard Way March 25 th, 2014 Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee Meeting

2 Presentation Overview Pre-Barrier Conditions Four Proposed Geometric Alternatives on 2 nd Avenue – Benefits and drawbacks for ALL road users – Operational Analysis Three Proposed Barrier Length Options on 4 th Street for the selected Alternative – Weaving Analysis to Select Preferred Option – Operational Analysis

3 Pre-Barrier Installation Conditions

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5 High number of run-off the-road crashes – Total of 10 crashes over a 3 year period Downhill grade after crossing the drawbridge combined with high speeds heading into a 90 degree curve Visibility limitations due to the vertical curve Mitigation beyond signing and pavement marking was explored

6 Project Objectives Recommend improvements to benefit ALL road users – Pedestrians Reduce the potential risk of getting hit by a run-off the road vehicle – Bicyclists Reduce the speed of vehicles going through the intersection Provide a safer environment to travel through the intersection – Drivers Reduce run-off the road crashes and severity

7 Alternatives 1.Maintain Existing Lanes 2.Southbound Left Turn (SBLT) Lanes Modification 3.Northbound Right Turn (NBRT) Lanes Modification 4.SBLT and NBRT Lanes Modifications

8 Alternative 1: Barrier Wall in Front of Wells Fargo Center Benefits – No lane changes – Space available to fit barrier – No signal changes required Drawbacks – Pedestrian ramp would have to be closed to fully shield sidewalk – Errant vehicles travel over existing concrete island – Nearly a 90 o impact angle at high speed for drivers

9 Alternative 2: Barrier Wall Adjacent to Northbound Right-Turn Lanes (Closing one Southbound Left Turn Lane) Benefits – NBRT lanes are maintained – Barrier adjacent to critical NBRT movement – Flexibility to maintain/modify signal timing – Pedestrian crosswalks maintained – Shorter pedestrian crossing distance for southbound lanes Drawbacks – Sidewalk not fully protected – Nose of the barrier is hazardous for drivers and blocks pedestrians paths – Closing one Southbound Left Turn lane – Limited space to install barrier – SBLT spillback may extend to SE 3 rd St. if existing signal timing is maintained

10 Alternative 3-A: Barrier Wall Adjacent to Right-Turn Lanes (Closing one Northbound Right Turn Lane) Benefits – Barrier nose crash risk eliminated – Barrier adjacent to critical NBRT lanes – SBLT lanes maintained – Flexibility to maintain/modify signal timing – Shorter pedestrian crossing distance Drawbacks – Sidewalk not fully protected – Closing of one NBRT lane is required – Crosswalk relocation is required – NBRT spillback may extend to SE 5 th St. if existing signal timing is maintained

11 Alternative 3-B: Barrier Wall Combination Adjacent to Right-Turn Lanes (Closing one Northbound Right Turn Lane) Benefits – Sidewalk fully covered – Barrier nose crash risk eliminated – Barrier adjacent to critical NBRT lanes – SBLT lanes are maintained – Flexibility to maintain/modify signal timing – Shorter pedestrian crossing distance Drawbacks – Closing one NBRT lane is required – Crosswalk relocation is required – NBRT spillback may extend to SE 5 th St. if existing signal timing is maintained

12 Alternative 4: SBLT and NBRT lane closures Benefits – Barrier adjacent to critical NBRT lanes – Single barrier fully covers sidewalk – Allows for simultaneous northbound and southbound traffic flow – Shorter pedestrian crossing distances – Larger pedestrian refuge island Drawbacks – Requires closing two lanes – Vehicle weaving along Biscayne Blvd. – Pedestrian push-button activation

13 Option 4-A: Installation of barrier west of Marriott drop-off entrance (distance available for changing lanes = 255.)

14 Option 4-B: Installation of barrier just east of Marriott drop-off entrance (distance available for changing lanes = 190.)

15 Option 4-C: Installation of barrier extended to SE 3 rd Avenue (distance available for changing lanes = 0.)

16 Weaving Volumes AM (PM) 450 (266) 678 (991) 433 (284) 37 (52)

17 Weaving Volumes AM (PM) Marriott Entrance/Exit 38 (56) 43 (66) 10 (11) 3 (0)

18 What have we done since installing the barrier? Pedestrian observations – Fewer pedestrians than expected push the button – Frequent jaywalking – Many pedestrians push the button but do not wait for the “Walk” signal Bicycle observations – No behavior difference Traffic observations – Southbound left turning trucks mount the sidewalk – Red-light running for all movements – No significant spillback changes observed – No significant change in travel time before (223 sec.) and after (220 sec.) – On-going observations for lane changing activity along Biscayne Blvd.

19 Next Steps to Consider for Pedestrian and Bicycle Allow pedestrians phases to be on recall for all crosswalks Although pedestrian crossing distances have been reduced for the NBRT and SBLT lanes, the original “Walk” time is maintained Provide consistent and improved pedestrian signage for all crosswalks Confirm pedestrian facilities are up to standards Explore installing Audible Pedestrian Signals to increase pedestrians awareness

20 Next Steps to Consider for Traffic Remove the northern barriers to accommodate a greater turning radii for SBLT traffic Implement law-enforcement strategies to reduce red-light running Data shows spillbacks do not have a significant impact after analyzing the recommended improvements Separate concurrent movements to eliminate lane changing conflicts on Biscayne Blvd. – Compatible with the pedestrian recommendation to program pedestrian phases on recall – Optimize signal timings to accommodate all users

21 PM Peak Hour Analysis: 95% Queue Lengths Comparison Pre-Barrier Recommended Improvement 200’ 400’ 225’ 275’

22 Conclusions Barrier installation improved safety for all road users Lane closure resulted in negligible intersection operations changes when compared to pre-barrier conditions Further signal timing and operations modifications at SE 2 nd Avenue and Biscayne Blvd. are recommended to: – Increase pedestrian safety – Better accommodate pedestrians expectations in a downtown – Reduce lane changing conflicts along Biscayne Blvd. between SE 2 nd Ave. and SE 3 rd Ave. without rerouting traffic

23 Thank you

24 LOS Analysis Results for the Barrier Length Options * Queue lengths may exceed storage capacity SELECTED IMPROVEMENT