City Council Meeting Date: August 4, 2025
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator
From: Sean Simonson, Engineering Manager
David Bennett, Public Works Director/City Engineer
Title
The City Council approves Resolution to Accept the Feasibility Report and Authorize Preparation of Plans and Specifications for the 2026 Mill and Overlay and Mill Towns State Trail Improvements (STRT2026-A83).
Body
Action Requested:
The City Council approves Resolution to Accept the Feasibility Report and Authorize Preparation of Plans and Specifications for the 2026 Mill and Overlay and Mill Towns State Trail Improvements (STRT2026-A83).
Summary Report:
City Council Ordered the Preparation of Feasibility Report for the 2026 Mill and Overlay Project (STRT2026-A83) at the June 4, 2024, City Council meeting, which includes the following project areas (Attachment 2):
• Maple Street from Meadow View Drive to Jefferson Parkway (mill and overlay)
• Maple Court (mill and overlay)
• Prairie Street from Meadow View Drive to Jefferson Parkway (mill and overlay)
• Jefferson Parkway from Division Street to Spring Creek Road (mill and overlay)
• Prairie Street from Prospect Court to Pleasant View Court - Sibley Swale Park Entrance (on-street separated bikeway)
• Prairie Street from Lia Drive to Prairie View Court (new sidewalk on east side)
• Jefferson Parkway from Division Street/Trunk Highway 246 to Washington Street (new off-street trail on north side)
• Jefferson Parkway from Spring Creek Park Trail to Spring Creek Road (new off-street trail on north side)
• Mill Towns Trail from Division Street to Spring Creek Road (south side of Jefferson Parkway until Prairie Street then north through Spring Creek Park)
• Maple Street and Meadow View Drive (crossing improvements)
• Jefferson Parkway and Washington Street (crossing improvements)
• Jefferson Parkway and Maple Street (crossing improvements)
• Jefferson Parkway and Prairie Street (crossing improvements)
• Jefferson Parkway and Michigan Drive (crossing improvements)
• Jefferson Parkway and Sibley View Trail (crossing improvements)
• Jefferson Parkway and Afton Drive (crossing improvements)
• Jefferson Parkway and Bunker Drive East and West (crossing improvements)
• Jefferson Parkway and Wilcox Boulevard East and West (crossing improvements)
• Jefferson Parkway and Spring Creek Park Trail (crossing improvements)
Staff held the first Neighborhood Meeting on April 16, 2025, and Neighborhood Meeting #2 on June 11, 2025, to discuss the project as a whole. At this meeting, Staff requested feedback on the options listed above. Staff also mailed out a questionnaire with the Neighborhood meeting invitation requesting feedback about the upcoming project. Comments are included in Appendix F of the Feasibility Report (Attachment 3).
Prairie Street Bikeway
Prairie Street currently has an on-street bikeway on the west side from Woodley to Sibley Swale Park and from the park to Jefferson Parkway. As part of this project this bikeway from Prospect Court to Pleasant View Court/Sibley Swale Park entrance would be protected by adding a raised concrete median where the on-street paint is currently. The City’s pedestrian and bike analyzation report shows protecting the bikeway for the full length from Woodley Street to Jefferson Parkway for improving the safety of bikers by separating them from motorists. While staff recommend protecting the entire bikeway, there was significant public concern about the median. Due to public feedback, the recommendation of this report is to protect only the section from Prospect Court to Pleasant View Court due to the increased likelihood of vehicles entering the bike lane while traversing the hill and curves. Shrinking the length of the median on Prairie Street was presented at neighborhood meeting #2 and was received well with mostly positive comments. However, we did have a attendance at the Transportation for All Town Hall on Tuesday night and there were several members of the neighborhood there would were in opposition to this alternate option for this project.
Intersection Improvements
Intersection improvements are being considered at ten locations along Jefferson Parkway within the project area. These locations include intersections with Washington Street, Afton Street, the west leg of Bunker Drive, Wilcox Boulevard West, Wilcox Boulevard East, the east leg of Bunker Drive, Maple Street, Prairie Street, a mid-block crossing just west of Michigan Drive, and the intersection of Maple Street and Meadow View Drive. These improvements largely include curb extensions, enhanced pedestrian crossing pavement markings and signage, and pedestrian refuge medians. The intersection improvements included in this project were evaluated by a multimodal design expert to determine if and where enhanced pedestrian crossings may be needed. Benefits from these improvements will include reduced vehicle speed, shorter pedestrian crossing distances, and an overall increase in safety for multimodal travel along the project corridor. During development of the Feasibility Report, Staff considered additional curb cut openings related to bikes accessing the Mill Towns State Trail on the south side of Jefferson Parkway. These additional access points are not recommended for approval based on public feedback collected at Neighborhood Meeting #2.
Prairie Street Sidewalk
On the east side of Prairie Street, from Prairie View Court to Lia Drive is proposed to have a new sidewalk installed. This sidewalk is part of the City’s walking and biking plan and will connect to a future sidewalk on the east side of Lia Drive. Public feedback on the section showed significant concern about the number of trees that would need to be removed to install this walk. During design, methods to save as many trees as possible will be explored such as meandering the sidewalk and removing street parking to provide more space for the sidewalk.
Alternative Options:
Staff would be open to any additional alternatives City Council may bring forth. The alternatives could be made by making the main motion to approve the Resolution with amendment language that could be added.
The following is a couple examples as it relates to the Prairie Street bikeway on alternative amendment language:
A. Move the main Resolution accepting feasibility report. Then, a member makes a motion to “amend the motion to approve the feasibility report but with the addition of a protected concrete median for the bikeway for the full length from Woodley Street to Jefferson Parkway.”
B. Move the main Resolution accepting feasibility report. Then, a member makes a motion to “amend the motion to approve the feasibility report with the removal of the protected concrete median for the bikeway from Prospect Court to Pleasant View Court.”
The options above are just examples to assist with how alternatives could be brought forward. Staff is available to assist in developing alternative motions from the recommendation in the report and resolution.
Financial Impacts:
Please see the feasibility report for the estimated project costs and estimated project funding (Attachment 3).
Tentative Timelines:
See Project Process (Attachment 4).