Kathleen Krager, Traffic Engineering Division Manager, announced the following changes for streets in the north end:
Cascade Avenue
Cascade Avenue will be restriped with one through lane, a buffered bike lane, and parking in each direction from Boulder Street to Jackson Street.  This design change will improve pedestrian safety, and provide an important bike facility that connects with downtown.  Concurrently, Colorado College will reduce the number of crosswalks on Cascade from four crosswalks with flashing lights to two standard crosswalks.  The college has committed to a training program for their students and staff to use the crosswalks in a safe fashion.  This work will be done in early spring.
The City is also planning a redesign of the Uintah/Cascade intersection that will include a better alignment for right turns that is planned for the completion by summer 2019.
Input from residents showed that Cascade Avenue and Weber Street were the preferred streets to incorporate a north/south bike route. Plus, given changes to crosswalks at Colorado College, reducing Cascade Avenue to one travel lane in each direction will improve pedestrian safety while minimally impacting travel delays through the area.  Residents overwhelming selected to remove a travel lane over on-street parking to accommodate bike infrastructure.
Weber Street
Weber Street, between Colorado Avenue and Jackson Street, will be restriped to accommodate two through lanes of travel with a center left turn lane, bike lanes, and parking.  Because the number of  driveways on Weber Street doesn’t accommodate a parking protected layout the bike lanes will be located next to travel lanes in a traditional design.  The work on Weber will take place as part of repaving Weber Street so it will be a couple years before this project is complete.
Fontanero Street
Fontanero Street, between El Paso Street and Wood Avenue will also be restriped as a two-lane street with center left turn lane and bike lanes.  The work on this street will be scheduled for 2019 and will provide an east/west connection for bike users that will connect with the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail.
As I mentioned, public input and traffic engineering best practices went in the selection and redesign of these three corridors to address pedestrian safety and incorporate bike infrastructure. Residents overwhelming selected Weber Street and Cascade Avenue for north/south bike routes and Fontanero Street for an east/west connection. As with Cascade Avenue, data and traffic counts for Weber and Fontanero show that travel times may only experience a minimal delay with the traffic changes and should not cause traffic diversion. However, we will be collecting new traffic volume and speed counts throughout the neighborhood for regular review and analysis.
As already announced, Uintah Street will be restriped this spring to add a center left turn lane that will better accommodate traffic flow between Nevada and El Paso.
The planning and work for your neighborhood continues.  We still need to discuss parking problems at Colorado College and Penrose Hospital, median criteria for traffic improvements, transit routes through the neighborhood, and sidewalk ramps at intersections.  I would also like to add to our list a specific work session on Nevada Avenue.  Please expect a new series of meetings to begin in March.
In the meantime, please feel free to visit our transportation study webpage for more information about previously announced traffic changes, public input received and an overview of past meetings.
Kathleen Krager
Traffic Engineering Division Manager