MORGANTOWN — The projects identified in the Morgantown Regional Bike and Pedestrian Transportation Plan — some 750 in total — range from minor curb and sidewalk upgrades to million-dollar trail connectors and pedestrian bridges.
On Monday, the Morgantown Monongalia Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Policy Board began the process of identifying priorities during a 90-minute session held in Monongalia County Commission chambers.
The takeaway?
Some of the larger, costlier projects would be nice, and connectivity is badly needed, but the focus should initially be on safety and basic amenities like crosswalks and pedestrian access to and from schools.
Alta Planning & Design and Stantec delivered the plan, which was accepted by the MPO in October after more than year of work. It cost $266,000. About 90% of that was covered by state and federal highways funds. The rest was provided by Morgantown, Monongalia County, WVU and Westover.
Alta Senior Planning Associate Phil Goff and Mike Rutkowski, of Stantec, helped make the process more manageable by providing a list of 45 projects spanning all the municipalities and parts of the county that scored the highest when the consultants ran them through a five-criteria list using the planning goals laid out at the start of the process — safety, connectivity, design, equity and economy.
Some of the projects to score the highest with the policy board included a crosswalk with crossing island on Dents Run Road (Granville); a crosswalk with flashing beacon at the intersection of University Ave. and Herman Ave. (Star City); access to the Capterton Trail across Don Knotts Blvd. from White Park (Morgantown); trail access from the Westover Bridge (Morgantown); crosswalk with a crossing island at the intersection of Brockway Ave. and Kingwood Street (Morgantown).
But even more than individual projects, the board seemed to support the need for pretty basic amenities. For example, generic terms like “crosswalks,” and “pedestrian lighting” got big marks.
For example, Granville Mayor Patty Lewis said there’s really no marked crossing area on either Main Street or Dents Run Road, both of which see both plenty of heavy trucks and pedestrian traffic.
“There’s no safe way to cross Dents Run at all in any location,” she said.
Overall, much of the focus was placed on pedestrian safety and access, with the bike-focused projects receiving less support, and in some cases, open opposition.
County Commissioners Tom Bloom and Ed Hawkins have said the entirety of the plan’s focus should be on pedestrian issues. Bloom said he was adamantly opposed to narrowing driving lanes to incorporate dedicated, buffeted bike lanes.
In the end, Goff said Monday’s exercise was simply to gauge which projects and concepts have the support of the policy board.
“That says these projects have support of a regional nature and have the support of the full policy board. It’s the cream rising to the top,” Goff said.
MPO Executive Director Bill Austin has previously explained that any project ultimately taken up will have to be individually designed and funded.
