Walnut Avenue Protected Bikeway
Location
Walnut Avenue between Mission Boulevard & Paseo Padre Parkway
City or County Responsible for Project
City of Fremont
Category
Complete Streets Projects
Author
Eric Hu
City of Fremont/Public Works Department
39550 Liberty Street, PO Box 5006, Fremont, CA 94537-5006
(510) 494-4542
Project Description
The City of Fremont made a commitment to prioritize roadway safety and promote transportation mode shift by adopting its Vision Zero program in 2015 and its Mobility Action Plan in 2019. The City’s recently constructed Walnut Avenue Bikeway Improvements project is a direct result of these two programs. Identified as a high priority bikeway through the Fremont City Center, the Walnut Avenue Bikeway Project constructed 1.2 miles of raised Class IV bikeways on both sides of Walnut Avenue, four new protected intersections, a new mid-block crossing with pedestrian flashing beacon, and upgrade of 8 existing bus stops. The project raised the standard for a true multi-modal complete streets project that is truly comfortable for residents of all ages and abilities, while providing walking/biking access to the adjacent Fremont BART station, multiple regional shopping centers, major employment centers, high density residential complexes, City Hall, and numerous regional medical facilities. As one of the national leaders in protected intersection implementation (5 completed to date, 3 currently in construction, and 8 more in design), the City strives to exceed basic Caltrans and MUTCD design standards and provide a facility that is truly comfortable to navigate for users of all ages and abilities, from young families with toddlers to the senior population. The Walnut Avenue Bikeway design is based primarily on the NACTO design guidance, which is often used by larger and more densely populated metropolitan centers. Fremont believes that noticeable transportation mode shift will only occur within the City Center District if a continuous network of comfortable and protected bike/pedestrian facilities (including the intersections) is well-planned and designed. As part of the project, existing right-turn slip lanes were eliminated at all approaches to slow turning vehicle speeds, and crosswalks were shortened to reduce bike/pedestrian crossing distances. Construction of enlarged raised curb returns created complete separation between pedestrians and bicyclists from cars, and it also placed pedestrians and bicyclists ahead of waiting vehicles so that they are more visible. Selective implementation of green bikeway striping clearly defined path of travel for bikes and pedestrians at the intersection returns, and the raised bikeways are routed behind new bus loading areas to minimize conflicts between approaching bicyclists and transit riders. Lastly, the new traffic signal detection cameras can reliably detect and differentiate between vehicles and bicyclists, so custom timing parameters can be provided to right user type. To minimize overall project demolition and off-haul, the new raised asphalt bikeway and curb returns were constructed over the existing roadway, curb, gutter, and other existing facilities as much as possible. Note: Documentation sent to Mr. Leamon
