Local officials see a lot of potential for new mixed-use development along Washtenaw Avenue from Ann Arbor to Ypsilanti, along with upgrades for pedestrians, bicyclists and transit riders.
The following images were put on display Tuesday night at the first in a series of public workshops being held this week as part of the ReImagine Washtenaw project.
They're purely hypothetical, but they show what the corridor could look like if the road was reconfigured to include buffered bike lanes and dedicated transit lanes with new transit "super stops" along the way. Check them out and leave your thoughts below.
This hypothetical cross section shows what Washtenaw Avenue could look like with four 11-foot-wide travel lanes, an 11-foot-wide center turn lane, and buffered bike lanes on both sides that build in 2 feet of buffered space between vehicles and cyclists. On the left side is a 6-foot-wide sidewalk with an 8-foot-wide landscape buffer. Another 8-foot landscape buffer on the right side transitions to a 12-foot-wide activated space with what appears to be outdoor seating for a restaurant.
SmithGroupJJR | Parsons Brinckerhoff
This hypothetical cross section shows what the road could look like with two vehicle travel lanes, a center turn lane, two buffered bike lanes and dedicated transit lanes. In this scenario, the bicyclists would be placed between buses and vehicle traffic.
SmithGroupJJR | Parsons Brinckerhoff
SmithGroupJJR | Parsons Brinckerhoff
SmithGroupJJR | Parsons Brinckerhoff
What a typical "super stop" for Ann Arbor Transportation Authority buses might look like along Washtenaw Avenue. ReImagine Washtenaw project manager Nathan Voght said the stops will be constructed over time as sidewalks fill in and other stops are able to be consolidated. "These will be funded by AATA, or possibly by developers of adjacent private property, as they construct their development," he said. The AATA proposed a five-year plan last year that projected a series of 16 super stops or bus rapid transit style stops for Route 4 on Washtenaw Avenue would cost about $2 million.
SmithGroupJJR | Parsons Brinckerhoff
Public feedback is being sought on these three alternative scenarios showing how Washtenaw Avenue could be configured in different ways from Ann Arbor to Ypsilanti.
SmithGroupJJR | Parsons Brinckerhoff