Streamview Drive Improvements Project
Location
San Diego, California
City or County Responsible for Project
City of San Diego, Public Works Department
Category
Safety or Intelligent Transportation System Projects
Author
Steven Bliss, PE, TE, PLS
City of San Diego, Public Works Department
525 B. Street, 5th Floor, San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 533-4668
Project Description
Streamview Drive is a 1.3 mile long 2-lane collector located in the Oak Park and Redwood Village neighborhoods of San Diego between 54th Street and College Avenue. The design objective was to improve safety and aesthetics along the corridor, while preserving neighborhood parking. The section of road consist of one eastbound and one westbound travel lanes with a variable width median that ranges from 3 feet up to 50 feet. Parking is provided alternating between the shoulders and within the median. There are a few existing trees in the median along the road. Streamview Drive is a popular “cut-through” road for commuters to travel between 54th St. and College Ave. This segment of road has experienced a high number of speed related accidents. The goal of this project was to improve the overall safety of the corridor by introducing safety features, including multiple traffic calming designs to reduce the speed of vehicles traveling through this residential area. The project scope consisted of design and construction support services for various improvements along Streamview Drive; from the intersection of Michael/Lynn Street through the intersection with Gayle Street. The2-lane collector has an unusual cross section with an overall width of 96 feet curb-to-curb. The scale of the road encouraged drivers to speed and drive recklessly. The wide median was and remains used for angled parking serving the many multi-family homes along Streamview. To address safety concerns, GHD (the City’s engineering consultant) proposed to replace the existing stop sign control system at both intersections with roundabouts. Along the street section between the two roundabouts a raised median was proposed as an aesthetic improvement as well as a traffic calming feature. The City concurred with the approach and approved the recommendation. The existing trees within the median were preserved. Class II bike lanes with 2’ buffers were added between the bike lane and the vehicle lane. Reverse angled parking was also added as an effective way to enhance safety for motorists by providing clearer lines of sight, for bicyclists by eliminating the ‘door zone’ associated with parallel parking, and for pedestrians as loading and unloading are further from traffic (this includes cargo, children and those with disabilities). The travel lanes meander from the centerline allowing for parking in the median and creating chicanes as added traffic calming feature. The project construction was completed in July 2017 and the roadway is now open to the public. There project achieved its goals and the result is a safer corridor for residents and motorists.
Add Comment