Redding City Council officials wish to close stretch of Riverside Drive
Sean Longoria
Redding Record Searchlight
Clarification: Riverside Drive between Court and Center streets sees about 3,500 vehicles per day. An earlier version of this story presented unclear data provided by Redding officials.
Redding officials want to close a short stretch of Riverside Drive for a new bike and pedestrian trail linking downtown Redding with the Diestelhorst Bridge.
Public Works Director Brian Crane on Tuesday will ask the City Council to approve the closure, set for next summer.
Plans call for adding a paved connection to the existing trail system, lighting along all trails and routes, completion of sidewalk gaps along Center and Division streets, a cycle track and pedestrian path along or on Riverside Drive, pavement striping to define bike lane buffers, parking and crosswalks; and installation of warning beacons, signs and a refuge island for pedestrian crossing at Riverside and Court.
More:Project would link River Trail to downtown Redding
Some key things to know about the project:
The council could keep the road open or close it to traffic in one direction
Crane isn't recommending either alternative, though.
Keeping the road open would result in a narrow path for cyclists and pedestrians and wouldn't address concerns of drivers using Riverside as a shortcut.
The steep terrain and Union Pacific railroad trestle also limit the available space next to the road and could require costly improvements, Crane said in a report to the council.
The intersection with Court would require a stoplight at some point if Riverside remains open in both directions.
"The capital cost of the signal could be well over $500,000 depending on the timing of installation along with the annual maintenance costs that would be required," Crane said.
Traffic won't be affected that much
The less than a quarter-mile section of road sees about 3,500 vehicles per day, according to city traffic data.
The city contracted for a traffic study that shows traffic at intersections would remain acceptable, Crane said.
Drivers would wait 11.5 seconds more to get through the intersection of Court Street and Eureka Way during the busiest morning hours, Crane said.
The closure might also tack on 37 seconds to travel time from the intersection of Benton Drive and Quartz Hill Road to Eureka Way and Market Street during busy morning hours.
Grants are paying for most of the work
Redding secured a state Active Transportation Program grant for most of the $2.6 million project, while another $400,000 comes from the state Transportation Improvement Program and local street money adds another $100,000.
The bulk of the money comes from the same pool the city drew on for upgrades to Placer Street and work this summer on Quartz Hill Road west of Benton Drive, among other projects.
More:Bike, pedestrian upgrades to close Quartz Hill Road during summer
From the archives:Placer Street will get improvements
The project coincides with several other high-profile plans for downtown Redding
K2 Development Companies plans to tear down the former Dicker's department store in the Market Street Promenade in June. That will make way for a four-story, mixed-use building that will feature apartments, office and retail space.
Around the same time in June, K2 and the McConnell Foundation should receive word whether they'll get $20 million in funding for a similar project to replace the northern half of the downtown parking garage.
McConnell also closed escrow on the former Redding police station and is eyeing the Bell Rooms building at Shasta and California streets.
More:McConnell closes deal to buy former police station
And county officials are optimistic that millions in funding from the state to build a new Shasta County courthouse will stay in the new budget, which the Legislature will pass by mid-June.
What: Redding City Council meeting
When: 6 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Council chambers, 777 Cypress Ave.
More information: cityofredding.org