Detroit Avenue Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements Project

The Detroit Avenue Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements Project, between Clayton Road and Monument Boulevard, included pavement rehabilitation, closed sidewalk gaps, repaired sidewalks, provided curb extensions, curb ramps and crosswalk enhancements at intersections, and installed Class II and Class II bikeways. The project was the product of a community-driven process, led by community partners including Monument Impact, Contra Costa County Health Services, First 5 Contra Costa, and the Central County Regional Group. The US EPA Sustainable Communities Building Blocks program and the City’s Monument Corridor CBTP identified key issues and opportunities and prioritized the Detroit Ave corridor for improvement. A community walking audit in August 2012, included staff from the EPA, the County, the City and members of the community summarized key issues such as unsafe crossings, uncontrolled intersections, narrow, non-existent and damaged sidewalks, low-visibility crosswalks, excessive speeding, and poor visibility at the Laguna Street intersection. The uncontrolled crosswalk on the north leg of the Walters Way intersection was another big community concern. Two public workshops were held which included Spanish translation, bi-lingual presentations, and childcare. At the workshops, residents requested modifications to the project including the desire to keep the all-way STOP signs at two intersections over the traffic signals originally planned, an additional four-way STOP controlled intersection, and additional street lighting. Staff determined that the all-way STOP requested was warranted based on traffic and pedestrian volumes and requested a programming change from MTC to shift construction funds from the signals to pavement rehabilitation and to the streetlights. Consistent with the environmental benefits of implementing Complete Streets improvements, the rehabilitation included the use of Rubberized Hot Mix Asphalt for the majority of the paving. The City was successful in amending the project, truly taking input from the community and putting it into action, building trust with the community. The residents were able to prioritize what was important to them and work with the City team to understand budgetary and grant-related constraints. The City’s team also learned from the community and achieved a greater understanding of the particular challenges faced within the Detroit Ave corridor in which they live and walk/bike every day. This project highlights the direction the City is going in re-imagining City of Concord streets into “Complete Streets” that serve the needs of all users: • Improving sidewalks and accessibility – pedestrians • Repaving the roadway – cyclists and motorists • Providing dedicated bike lanes – cyclists • City’s first (pilot) installation of green pavement markings • City’s first installation of buffered bike lanes