Wheels & Heels

Email news from MoDOT Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator Caryn Giarratano

Greetings Windbenders,

Over the last six years, MoDOT spent $69,728,893 of the total received $95,421,115 (73.1 percent) of the TEA-21 Enhancement funds on bicycle or pedestrian projects. Here is how much was spent each year:
1998 - $16,408,737
1999 - $14,189,853
2000 - $10,092,776
2001 - $11,404,288
2002 - $11,528,617
2003 - $6,104,622

Recent MoDOT BP accomplishments: MoDOT encourages and coordinates efforts to improve conditions for walking and bicycling. The department reviews and recommends bicycle and pedestrian friendly standards for transportation projects. These standards include MoDOT policy to remove the transportation barriers to safe access for these two modes of travel. Some of the recent highlights of MoDOT’s bicycle / pedestrian accomplishments include the following.

Northwest Region
* Sidewalks are now along a short segment of Route 6 (Frederick Blvd.) in St. Joseph, from I-29 to Woodbine Road. The project also included adding sidewalks to the Route 6 bridge over I-29, connecting with previously constructed sidewalks.

North Central Region
* In Fayette, new sidewalks were constructed to aid pedestrian traffic to the local school and college.
* In Moberly, a 10-foot wide asphalt hike/bike trail was built for children and others traveling to school and the local college.
* The Ninth Street Bridge, which crosses a railroad in Trenton, has a new pedestrian walkway and fence.
* New sidewalk projects are underway in the communities of Carrollton, Sweet Springs, Bosworth, Green City and Milan.

Northeast Region
* Bear Creek Trail in Hannibal, a half-mile shared-use trail that will become part of an extensive trail network, has been completed.
* Warrenton is designing a shared-use facility along Route 47 to connect several residential areas, a church, a school and a retirement community.
* Planning efforts are under way to complete the Mississippi River Trail from Hannibal to Iowa.
* Route 54 in Audrain County from Mexico east to Route 19 will receive shoulder improvements more safely accommodating bicyclists and pedestrians.

Kansas City Region
* Striping and signing for bike lanes on the Mississippi River Chouteau Bridge in Kansas City has been completed.
* Preliminary construction is completed in Cass County on Highway 71 and Highway 7 preparing for a bike trail in the existing abandoned railroad right of way.
* A new interchange at Green Hills Road in Platte County over Highway 152 now accommodates bicycles on the shoulder and with bike-friendly grates.
* The Blue Ridge Boulevard bridge over Highway 40 in Independence was reconstructed with bike friendly grates on the shoulders.
* In Cass County, two miles of new sidewalks along both sides of Highway 58 to connect residential areas to commercial areas is under construction. Roundabouts included in the project will safely accommodate pedestrians.
* Grates for one mile along Route 12 are being replaced to safely accommodate bicycles in Independence.

Central Missouri Region
* Fulton completed the second phase of the Stinson Creek Trail, a paved multi-use path providing safe transportation for a variety of users.
* Jefferson City is constructing part three of a sidewalk project allowing pedestrian transportation from the existing Greenway Trail at Linden Drive to the South Elementary School entrance.

St. Louis Region
* The Page Path is open in St. Louis County to 1,000 feet short of the bridge. The remaining pathway, along with the Katy Trail connection, opens this spring.
* In Maryland Heights, a bike trail has been constructed around the south end of Creve Coeur Lake and around the sedimentation lake in Creve Coeur Park.
* The Fenton Valley I-44 project improved access for motorized vehicles and upgraded all outer roadway storm water grates on paved shoulders to bicycle-friendly grates.

Southwest Region
* Another phase of Cassville’s pedestrian trail project was completed in December 2003. The 10-foot wide and 3,200-foot long asphalt pathway is essential to the interconnectivity of the greenway system linking three city parks to the downtown business district and improving pedestrian access from most residential areas to the Cassville School campus.
* In Nevada last fall, a new sidewalk system along Business Highway 71 was completed, connecting an area of apartment complexes and a mobile home park to the business district.
* A new bridge replacing an old structure over Turkey Creek in Jasper County was completed last fall, connecting the 3.75-mile Frisco Greenway Trail from Joplin to Webb City.
* The construction of a two-phase multi-use path in Butler for bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists along a mile of Fort Scott Street was finished last summer.

Springfield Region
* The five-mile Frisco Highline Trail extension from Springfield into Willard celebrated with a ribbon cutting last October. The trail now goes from Springfield to Walnut Grove, a total of 17 miles, and will eventually extend to Bolivar, creating a 30-mile trail.
* In downtown Springfield, the Jordan Valley Parking Garage -- providing 974 parking spaces, bike lockers and a bike rack -- opened in September 2003. This is part of a downtown redevelopment that also includes a greenway trail system.
* Construction will soon begin on the Ward Branch Greenway Trail, a 10-foot wide asphalt walking trail along the Ward Branch of the James River in Springfield.
* Share the Road signs will be installed on Route Y in Forsyth to alert motorists to expect bicyclists on this scenic route.
* The Frisco Highline Trailhead was the location of the 1st Annual Holiday Trail of Lights in downtown Willard. Over 20 organizations set up lighting displays, which attracted 500 people to the lighting ceremony.

South Central Region
* St. James completed the first phase, about 2 miles, of the St. James-Meramec Iron Works Trail project last fall. Two more miles are planned for 2004.
* St. James also completed a comprehensive plan in 1999 for walking and biking paths, resulting in a nine-phase development plan for the St. James Meramec Iron Works Trail – an eight-mile hard surface, shared-use path. In spring 2004, the second part of the project will begin.

Southeast Region
* In Fisk, a sidewalk was constructed that extends north along McKinley Avenue (state Highway DD) and winds through several streets providing safer accommodations for pedestrians.

Other News
Bob Chauncey (chauncey@dmv.com), from the National Center for Bicycling and Walking, is collecting information to help all who are interested in these modes of travel. Please assist him if possible to create a toolkit to publish on his organization’s website, with facility topics such as: liability, maintenance, roundabouts, impact of lower speed limits, sidewalk construction, curb extensions, crosswalks, parking, ADA compliance, transit-oriented design and bike boulevards. He is also interested in data regarding the economic impact of bike/ped facilities: how they improve the value of adjacent property, how community leaders can market these concepts within their communities, a sample presentation to community groups touting these ideas, public health impacts of walkability, guidance for obtaining funding and relationships among school placement, school design and bike/ped facilities.

The Missouri Bicycle Federation (see www.mobikefed.org) pre-filed legislation in Missouri to promote BP safety.

America Bikes has been sending out updates on SAFETEA S1072, the Senate's version of the six-year reauthorization of TEA-21, which allocates billions of dollars towards national transportation projects. Included in the bill is a provision for Safe Routes to School. The Senate bill calls for $70 million a year for Safe Routes, while the House bill calls for $250 million a year. The full Senate is currently scheduled to vote on the bill next week. See www.americabikes.org/saferoutestoschool.asp.

Contact information for Senators:
MO: www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=MO
KS: www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=KS
IL: www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=IL

Springfield has sent an application to the League of American Bicyclists for listing as a bicycle-friendly community. For more information on this program, see http://www.bicyclefriendlycommunity.org/.

Most teenagers do not consume enough calcium. The St. Louis Dairy Council has information regarding Milk Vending Programs for schools. Contact Mary Thompson, 573-875-1848, 802 N Providence, Columbia, MO 65203, mthompson@mail.stldairycouncil.org.

America Bikes (funded by the bike industry association, Bikes Belong) is wishing to insure that roads are designed and built to be safe for bicyclists and pedestrians. See the website on this program called “Complete the Streets.” http://www.americabikes.org/bicycleaccomodation_factsheet_completestreets.asp

Calendar:

March 3-5, the National Bike Summit will be held. League of American Bicyclists, 1612 K Street NW, Suite 800, Washington DC 20006, 202-822-1333, bikeleague@bikeleague.org,
http://www.bikeleague.org/events/natlsummitmarch2004.htm

March 18-20, the four-state regional conference on bicycle and pedestrian facility design, “Connecting Communities Through Better Design,” will be held at Doubletree Inn in Overland Park, KS. Registration for the three days is $125. For more information, contact Rose Lichtenberg, 785-864-2594, rosemary@ku.edu, http://www.kutc.ku.edu/region7bikeped.

May 17-21 is the National Bike to Work Week with Bike to Work Day on May 21. Additional information is available at www.bikeleague.org or at the Missouri Bicycle Federation website, www.mobikefed.org.

June 5 is the National Trails Day. To receive a planning guide, go to www.AmericanHiking.org. Contact Jane Thompson, National Trails Day Coordinator, 301-565-6704 x 208, 1422 Fenwick Lane, Silver Spring, MD 20910, NTD@AmericanHiking.org.

September 7-10, Pro Walk/Pro Bike 2004 will be held in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The National Center for Bicycling and Walking. http://www.bikewalk.org/PWPB2004/PWPB2004.htm.

Coming this fall is the first Missouri Trail Summit conference – to be held in Columbia, MO – for all types of trail users, planners and builders from single track in the woods to on-road paved roads.

The Missouri DOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) will meet quarterly in 2004 on February 2, May 3, August 2 and November 8.

Please forward this newsletter to anyone you feel may be interested. If you are not on the mailing list and would like to be added, please email me your address information.

Tailwinds, Caryn

caryn.giarratano @ modot.mo.gov, 573-522-9297, POB 270, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0270

Related:

News: Harkin "Complete Streets" Amendment fails; MO Sen. Bond speaks against

MoDOT: Wheels and Heels - October 2002

permanent link to article: "Wheels and Heels – January 2004"
posted by Brent Hugh at 1/28/2004 09:05:00 AM |comment on this article