To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
Through: David L. Corliss, Town Manager
From: Ryan Germeroth, P.E., Assistant Public Works Director
Title
Discussion/Direction: Crowfoot Valley Road Traffic Control Visioning
Body
________________________________________________________________________________
Executive Summary
The current five-year Transportation Capital Improvement Program (CIP) includes a placeholder in 2023 for the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Crowfoot Valley Road and Sapphire Pointe Boulevard. For the 2021 budget year, funds are available to complete the design. The full widening of Crowfoot Valley Road to a four lane cross section is currently set to occur in 2024. The intent of these projects is to maximize the value our community receives from the transportation assets constructed. This value includes: high safety, lowest total lifecycle cost, reliability, low downtime, and low environmental impacts.
In January, Town staff held a public meeting to discuss and gather feedback from residents about their vision of future traffic control on Crowfoot Valley Road. The public comment period was open in January and February. The purpose of this memo is to summarize the public input received to date, and provide a recommendation for future traffic control along Crowfoot Valley Road in order to gain final direction from Town Council. In addition, based on the input received, we have included a staff recommendation to not pursue a roundabout at the Sapphire Pointe Boulevard intersection.
Discussion
On Tuesday January 26, Town staff held a virtual public meeting to discuss traffic control options for Crowfoot Valley Road. The content of the discussion focused on the portion of the corridor from Founders Parkway through Sapphire Pointe Boulevard and discussed the viability of various traffic control options for each intersection (i.e. roundabout, traffic signal, stop sign control). The presentation also discussed the future plans to widen Crowfoot Valley Road to a four lane roadway as well as a future trail crossing. The intent of the meeting was to gather public input on the various traffic control options prior to moving into the design efforts for the roundabout. In advance of the public meeting, a postcard was sent out to nearly 1,100 individual addresses in the area and a news release was sent out to advertise the meeting. A project website was also set up with an online feedback form that allowed respondents to provide input prior to, during, and after the virtual public meeting. The project webpage and online feedback form was also mentioned at the February 18th Sapphire Pointe HOA meeting. Input was received via the online form and other means from January 14th through February 22nd. Verbal feedback was also received during the meeting on the 26th. Information on the project website, including a recording of the public meeting and a summary of the public input including answers to frequently asked questions, can be found at the following link www.crgov.com/Crowfoot.
Staff has reviewed all of the written and verbal input received through the public process. The key themes are:
• Concerns about vehicle speeds on Crowfoot Valley Road,
• Feedback that Crowfoot Valley Road needs to be widened sooner than later,
• Keeping right turn lanes now and after the road is widened,
• Safety of the northbound left turn lane at Diamond Ridge Pkwy, and
• Various opinions about what the best traffic control option is for each intersection.
The input received via the online form was consistent with the verbal input received during the public meeting. In all, approximately 90 individual responses were received. It’s estimated that this equates to a response from approximately 8% of the area covered by the postcard mailing. When reviewing the input received overall with regard to the three types of intersection traffic control presented at the public meeting, signals were the most selected option with 26 responses, roundabouts were second with 21 responses, and the stop sign controlled acceleration lanes were third at 11 responses. Given that roundabouts and traffic signals are not viable options at all intersection locations along the corridor, this overall result may be useful in determining what the preferred traffic control option(s) are for the corridor.
The following table shows a summary of the items that received three or more comments. These are general categorizations we have developed based on the raw input provided. In addition, input from a single respondent may have covered multiple issues. In that case, their input would be captured as one response in each of the areas they commented on. A summary table of all of the input received can be found in Attachment A. The full comments received via the online form and the chat during the public meeting can be found in Attachments B and C respectively.
Table 1. Summary of Public Input
Issue Type/Location Concern or item of input Total #
Sapphire Pointe Like signal @ Sapphire Pointe 18
General Corridor Concern about speeding on Crowfoot. Want to reduce 12
Speed limit and/or more enforcement
General Corridor Crowfoot needs to be widened due to existing merging 11
issues northbound and future growth in traffic
General Intersection Install/keep right turn lanes, (accel / decel) at 9
intersections on Crowfoot (some want continuous
accel / decel land southbound)
Sapphire Pointe Like roundabout @ Sapphire Pointe 9
Diamond Ridge Concern about safety of northbound left @ Diamond 5
Ridge
General Intersection No signals or roundabouts but like accel lane concepts 5
Timber Canyon Dr. Like roundabout @ Timber Canyon 5
Diamond Ridge Like signal @ Diamond Ridge 4
General Intersection No roundabouts 4
General Corridor Have concerns about traffic due to new developments 3
General Intersection Roundabouts ok but no signals on Crowfoot 3
General Intersection Leave traffic control as is, everything fine 3
General Intersection Generally like signals 3
Note: Input from a single respondent may be accounted for as one response in multiple areas
Based on the input received, it seems the community’s preference is to discontinue the originally planned roundabout project at Sapphire Pointe Boulevard and instead install a traffic signal at the intersection when the traffic conditions meet the criteria for signalization. In addition, the feedback indicates that right turn lanes should be kept at Sapphire Point Boulevard, Diamond Ridge Parkway, and Timber Canyon Drive when the roadway is widened.
Budget Impact
The current approved 5-year CIP includes a $2.22 million budget for the construction of a roundabout at Sapphire Pointe Boulevard and a $5 million budget for the widening of the roadway to four lanes between Knobcone and the Town boundary. For planning purposes the projected cost for the construction of a traffic signal is approximately $500,000 and a right turn lane is $300,000. The following two tables show the cost comparison between the originally planned expenditures versus the cost of the new recommended plan based on the community input.
Table 2. Current Capital Improvement Plan for Crowfoot Valley Road
Original Plan
Location Options Construction Cost Notes
Sapphire Pointe Roundabout $2.22M Construction of two lane roundabout
Diamond Ridge Stop control Included w/ widening Left turn accel / decel lanes
Timber Canyon Stop control Included w/ widening Left turn accel / decel lanes
Knobcone Stop control Included w/ widening No auxiliary turn lanes
Corridor Four land roadway $5M Includes bike lanes, sidewalks, and
center median / left turn accel /decal
lanes
Total Cost All options above $7.22M Includes items listed above
Table 3. Proposed Capital Improvement Plan for Crowfoot Valley Road
Original Plan
Location Options Construction Cost Notes
Sapphire Pointe Signal (when warranted) $800k (for new signal & Construction of mast arm traffic signal.
right turn lane) Include right turn accel / decel lanes
Diamond Ridge Signal (when warranted) $800k (for new signal & Left turn accel / decel lanes.
right turn lane) Construction of mast arm traffic signal
Include right turn decel lane.
Timber Canyon Signal (when warranted) $800k (for new signal & Left turn accel / decel lanes.
right turn lane) Construction of mast arm traffic signal
Include right turn decel lane.
Knobcone Signal (when warranted) $500k (for new signal) Construction of mast arm traffic signal.
Corridor Four land roadway $5M Includes bike lanes, sidewalks, and
center median / left accel / decel turn
lanes
Total Cost All options above $7.9M Includes items listed above
As can be seen in the tables, the current planned project is expected to cost about $7.2 million to construct. The proposed project could cost up to $7.9 million to construct but it’s more likely to cost about $6.4 million as traffic signals at Diamond Ridge Parkway, Timber Canyon Drive, and Knobcone Drive are not expected to need traffic signals in the future.
The following table summarizes whether the recommended improvement addresses one or more of the key themes listed previously in the “Discussion” section:
Public Theme Addressed
Location Recommendation Speeds Widened Keep Right Improve Left Turn
Sooner Turn Lanes Lane at D. Ridge
Corridor Widen ü ü
Sapphire Pt. Signal* ü**
Diamond R. Signal* ü**
Timber C. Signal* ü**
Knob Cone Signal* ü**
*Signals to be constructed if/when warranted. Current forecasts for need is beyond 2026
**Eliminating roundabout at Sapphire Point may allow for the widening to be advanced earlier than current 2024 programmed year
The concern about existing speeds is not addressed with any of the proposed recommendations. Some public input requested reduced speed limit postings. There have been several national studies on this that indicate that posted speed limit changes do not change the prevailing speeds in a significant manner. This is because speed limits are designed to inform drivers of the maximum speed that is suitable for the existing roadway conditions. The current speed limit postings on Crowfoot Valley Road have been established based on engineering evaluations and are deemed appropriate.
Because the majority of drivers have a natural sense of safe operating speeds for a roadway, keeping a speed limit posting artificially low tends to place more drivers into a scofflaw situation. In addition, an artificially lowered speed limit posting poses an increased risk to safety due to increased potential for aggressive passing maneuvers. On a two-lane roadway, this poses an increased risk of head on type collisions. On a four-lane roadway, this poses a higher risk of side-swipe type incidents. This also places more pressure on the Police Department to enforce the speed limit in order to gain sustained compliance. It’s estimated that the current Police Department resources would not be able to provide a sustainable impact on reduced speeds through enforcement. An interest in the use of automated speed enforcement has also been expressed by members of the public. This system does not currently exist on any streets within Castle Rock. Some additional research would be necessary if Town Council desires to pursue this option. The primary concern with this type of system is public perception associated with the primary goals of implementation. If drivers feel that the speed limit is artificially low, the perception may be that the goal is for revenue generation through fines.
Staff Recommendation
Based on the input received during the public process, staff is recommending that the original plan for a roundabout at Sapphire Pointe Boulevard be changed to install a traffic signal instead when traffic conditions warrant. In addition to this, the other intersections along the corridor should be monitored for signalization as needed but left turn acceleration lanes should be installed with the widening project since the signals are not expected to be needed for some time, if ever. Finally, right turn deceleration lanes should be included at Sapphire Pointe Boulevard, Diamond Ridge Parkway, and Timber Canyon Drive as a part of the roadway widening project. Staff will assess the ability to advance the roadway widening project earlier than 2024 due to the elimination of the roundabout as part of the budgeting process. We will also continue to coordinate with Douglas County to determine if a project partnership is possible to assist with advancing the widening.
Proposed Motion
This item is for discussion / direction only so there is no proposed motion.
Attachments
Attachment A: Summary of all comments received
Attachment B: Original comments received via online feedback form
Attachment C: Transcript of virtual meeting chat box