ACTIVE CONNECTIONS
California Street
Safer and more comfortable biking, rolling and walking
About the project
Safer and more comfortable multimodal choices
The Active Connections: California Street project will create a bike and pedestrian corridor on California Street between Broadway and US 2. The project will add and/or improve bike facilities and sidewalks to create a multimodal transportation connection that accommodates a wide range of abilities, confidence and comfort levels of cyclists with safety-focused improvements. The project will improve bike and pedestrian safety, comfort and options connecting downtown Everett with the US 2 trail.
The goal of the Active Connections: California Street project is to improve safety, providing a comfortable bike connection between downtown Everett and the US 2 trail.
Meeting the project goals
Goal 1:
Make it safer and more comfortable to bike on California Street
Two-way bike “roadways” with a barrier between traffic and cyclists. More comfortable for a wide range of cyclists
Two-way bike “roadways” with a barrier between traffic and cyclists. More comfortable for a wide range of cyclists
The solutions:
Goal 2:
Make it safer and more comfortable to walk on California Street
Completing the sidewalk network on both sides of the street with modern, accessible sidewalks
Improving accessibility for users with mobility challenges at intersections and crossings
Safer crossings with enhanced markings, beacons, illumination and visibility enhancements
Completing the sidewalk network on both sides of the street with modern, accessible sidewalks
The solutions:
Goal 3:
Maintain vehicle operations
Integrating bike facilities through intersections safely and comfortably for all modes
Back-in angled parking on the other side of the street from the bike facilities
Prioritizing safe multimodal crossings while maintaining traffic operations
Integrating bike facilities through intersections safely and comfortably for all modes
The solutions:
Route alternatives
Connecting downtown Everett to the US 2 trail
The Active Connections: California Street between Broadway and US 2 consists of three segments:
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California Street between Broadway and Pine Street
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A connection between California Street and Hewitt Avenue on Pine Street
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Hewitt Avenue to the existing US 2 Trail
Three alternatives were prepared by the City and our supporting consultants to connect California Street to Hewitt Avenue. After considering the public feedback and several criteria evaluating safety, impacts to parking, required changes to existing signals and anticiapted project cost, the Pine Street route was the preferred alternative.
Connecting California Street to Hewitt Avenue
Maple Street
(not selected)
Widen existing sidewalks on Maple to a shared use path. Cyclists would use the existing signals to connect from California Street to Hewitt Avenue, and then to the US 2 trail.
Pine Street alleyway
(not selected)
Providing designated space for cyclists on Pine Street, a protected crossing of Pine Street at the alleyway, and connecting to a widened sidewalk on Maple Street. Cyclists would use the existing signal to cross Hewitt Avenue and connect to the US 2 Trail.
California Street bike options
Making cycling safer and more comfortable
The City and our supporting consultants developed five feasible alternative methods of creating designated space for bikes on California Street between Broadway and Pine. Each alternative had a different balance between impacts to on-street parking, physical separation between vehicle and bike traffic, and ease of connections to other routes off of California, including to the US 2 trail at the east end of the project corridor.
After recieving public feedback our consultant evaluted the five options for a number of criteria. The criteria considered the safety of all modes, impacts to on-street parking, public support, project phasing and cost, and design complexity. After scoring each of the five alternatives in 20 different criteria, the north side two way cycle track with angled parking was identified as the preferred section.
Safer, more comfortable cycling on California Street
Option A
(preferred alternative)
North side cycle track, angled parking
Option A would install a two-way cycle track with a buffer and intermittent physical barriers between bike and vehicle spaces on the north curb of the street. Parking on the north side of California Street would be removed, and angled parking would stay in place on the south side of California Street.
ADVANTAGES:
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Retains high use parking in place
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Reuse of existing assets
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Safer, high comfort protected bike facility
CONSIDERATIONS:
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Complex intersections
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Requires California Street crossings at east end
Executive Summary
The City and our supporting consultant developed a report documenting the entire alternatives development and selection process, including the public outreach efforts and summary of the feedback received. The executive summary of the report can be found through the link below. The full report is available by emailing the City using the links provided here.
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