W. Mulberry Street Improvements & Pilot Project
Overview
Building on the recommendations adopted in the 2017 Old Town Neighborhoods Plan and 2014 Bicycle Master Plan, the City will be improving W. Mulberry Street between Jackson Ave. and Overland Trail in 2018. This project will restripe Mulberry to add a center turn lane while also piloting protected bicycle lanes. The lower traffic volumes in this section of Mulberry Street means traffic can continue to flow smoothly with one travel lane in each direction, while the new center lane allows for safer and more convenient left turns to residential driveways and local streets. Space gained from the reduction in lanes will be utilized to enhance bicycle mobility, while also increasing the buffer between the sidewalk and travel lanes. Bicycle and pedestrian crossing improvements are also planned at the following locations along the corridor: Mulberry at Impala / Ponderosa, Mulberry at City Park, and N. Shields at Magnolia.
Background
The City’s 2017-18 budget included funding to complete a protected bike lane pilot project building on the recommendations in the 2014 Bicycle Master Plan. In 2017, Staff evaluated multiple corridors to determine the optimal pilot project location and ultimately selected W. Mulberry St. from Jackson Ave. to Overland Trail as the preferred corridor for this. W. Mulberry St. was selected for the following reasons:
- Deficient bicycle infrastructure
- Included in the City’s Big Jump focus area, which aims to triple bicycle ridership in northwest Fort Collins
- Recommended for improvements in adopted plans
- Lacks parallel low-stress bicycle route alternatives
- Provides access to City Park, Poudre High School, and other destinations
- Known safety issues
- Opportunity to test protected bike lanes on a higher speed, higher volume arterial
- Opportunities to improve the corridor for motorists, pedestrians and transit users
Further, a reconfiguration of W. Mulberry St. between Taft Hill and Jackson Avenue was recommended as a near-term action item in the 2017 Old Town Neighborhoods Plan. Proposed changes included reducing travel lanes to one lane in each direction, and adding a center turn lane and new bicycle facilities.
Concept Design:
The following design changes are proposed:
- New center turn lane
- Protected and buffered bike lanes
- Crossing improvements at Mulberry at Impala, Mulberry at City Park and N. Shields at Magnolia
- Green paint in areas of conflict
- Parking-protected bike lane around Sheldon Lake
Project Timeline:
| Project Selection | Spring/Summer 2017 |
| Concept Design | Summer/Fall 2017 |
| Public Outreach | Fall 2017 - Spring 2018 |
| Final Design | Winter 2017 - Spring 2018 |
| Project Evaluation (Pre) | Spring 2018 |
| Project Implementation | Summer 2018 |
| Evaluation and Education (Post) | Fall 2018 - Fall 2019 |
Laurel Street Pilot Project:
A three-block protected bike lane project was installed in 2015 on Laurel Street between South Howes Street and Remington Street. The project featured parking protected bike lanes, protected bike lanes, shared lane markings, green paint denoting a merge zone, and a bike box.
The Laurel Street Pilot Project completed missing segments of the City's bicycle network, while addressing one of the City's highest bicycle crash locations (College Ave. and Laurel St.). Following installation, a year-long evaluation process was conducted to support the development of best practices for future protected bike lanes and to identify if design refinements are needed to improve the Laurel Street corridor.
Laurel Street Evaluation Report
Summary of Educational Campaign
Contact
Dan Woodward, Civil Engineer II, dwoodward@fcgov.com, 970.416.4203
Tessa Greegor, FC Bikes Program Manager, tgreegor@fcgov.com, 970.416.2471