Lafayette City Council To Hear Plan For Pedestrian Path Down Middle Of Pleasant Hill Road

by Tony Hicks – Lots of communities talk about taking back their streets. Lafayette might take the concept a bit further.

The Lafayette City Council tonight will hear a proposal from resident Eric Law, who wants to create a path for pedestrians straight down the middle of Pleasant Hill Road, from Mount Diablo Boulevard to Deer Hill Road/Stanley Road.

Supporters believe the benefits of the proposed Safe Route to Acalanes High School Project are clear to anyone familiar with the fast-moving traffic area. Not only is Pleasant Hill Road a major arterial from state Highway 24 to Lafayette, Pleasant Hill, Martinez and state Highway 4, there are freeway on-ramps on off-ramps on either side of the street.

The relatively short stretch of road also includes Acalanes High School and its more than 1,300 students, many of whom walk and bicycle to school, frequently crossing multiple freeway ramps. The controversial 315-unit Terraces of Lafayette development is coming to the corner of Pleasant Hill and Deer Hill roads, first bringing construction traffic, then hundreds of more cars passing through. Springhill Elementary School is also just a few blocks to the north.

According to a city staff report, that stretch of Pleasant Hill Road serves as many as 36,000 vehicles per day.

“Crossing the ramps can be dangerous, and even dissuade(s) experienced riders,” says a report to the council from Mike Moran, Lafayette’s director of engineering and public works. “In fact, the city has heard from numerous parents that they will not allow their children to walk or ride to school if they need to traverse this one unprotected pathway on Pleasant Hill Road.”

Bicycle lanes currently extend through the area, near the freeway ramps, but they’re squeezed between vehicle traffic lanes.

The project has already been presented twice to the city’s transportation and circulation subcommittee, which supported the project. It goes to the council for further exploration of design and funding options.

Preliminary costs estimates say the project would cost $3.1 million.

The staff report looks at scenarios that assume everyone agrees the area needs a safety upgrade.

Alternative upgrades would require $10 million to $20 million and 10-20 years for planning, approvals and construction. Alternative option 1 would widen the east sidewalk, moving the walking path 250 feet closer to the high school. The second plan involves tunnels to the school, with the same estimated time and funding involved.

The Safe Routes Project is “already viewed by Caltrans and CCTA (Contra Costa Transportation Authority) as an ideal project, as it does not impact on/off ramps,” according to the report. No city money is budgeted for the project at this time, and staff isn’t recommending any funding sources yet. Law’s group has requested $238,000 for design and environmental review costs for the project from local State Assemblywomen Rebecca Bauer-Kahan’s office.

The Lafayette City Council meets at 7 p.m. May 10, at http://bit.ly/LoveLafayetteYouTube.

For more information on the Safe Route to Acalanes High School Project, go to https://www.saferouteto.org/.