Wauwatosa East North Avenue Bike Lane Plan
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The City of Wauwatosa hired Ayres to develop preliminary plans for converting a segment of East North Avenue between North 60th Street and North 76th Street to accommodate on-street marked bicycle lanes.
The project examined the engineering feasibility of adding a continuous bike lane on North Avenue, increasing on-street parking along North Avenue and at selected local north-south intersection approaches, and taming traffic speeds on North Avenue while providing a pedestrian/bicycle-friendly street. Consideration of a North Avenue “gateway” design at 60th Street was also incorporated into the conceptual plans.
This project included collecting North Avenue traffic counts at 66th and 67th Streets and conducting an intersection capacity analysis at North Avenue and 67th Street to assess the impacts of a change in traffic patterns due to the diversion of left turns from 66th Street to 67th Street. Ayres collected the traffic volumes, conducted the traffic analysis, and prepared a brief technical memorandum documenting the findings.
Subsequent phases of the design effort included green “bike boxes” at the intersection of 68th Street and North Avenue. The bike box is an area ahead of the stop line for motor vehicle traffic at a signalized intersection. Bicyclists can pull up in front of vehicles at a red light, making them more visible and increasing safety, especially for left turns.
Other design highlights include new traffic signals with flashing yellow arrows and video detection on all approaches; red colored crosswalks and pedestrian islands to draw motorists’ attention to pedestrians; and solar-powered, rectangular, rapid flashing beacons at the intersection of 73rd Street and North Avenue to provide a safe crossing for children walking to Roosevelt Elementary School.
Project Information
Client's NameCity of Wauwatosa
LocationWauwatosa, WI
Primary ServiceTraffic Engineering
MarketLocal Government
