North Avenue Corridor

INTRODUCTION

North Avenue is the fundamental route for residents of the New North End traveling into Burlington and destinations south or east. It accommodates cars, trucks, buses, pedestrians and bicyclists, while providing access to homes, parks, schools and shopping centers for residents and visitors of all ages.

Parts of this corridor were constructed in the early 1900's, while others were constructed mid-century. As the eras changed, North Avenue transitioned from a typical two-lane, narrow urban street with on-street parking to a wide, two- to four-lane street serving neighborhood commercial centers. This transition is also marked by the changing pattern of development, which is continuing to evolve as the city's population and demographics also evolve.

Visit the UVM Historic Burlington Project for a snapshot of North Avenue, past and present.

NORTH AVENUE PILOT PROJECT
In 2016 the city will test restriping and intersection changes along North Avenue between Washington Street and Plattsburg Avenue. Information related to the project has been developed with the North Avenue Task Force and will be continually updated:

• Metrics and public enagement ideas to measure the impacts and the gauge perception of the changes
  • Wondering what speeds are like on North Avenue? Join your neighbors on October 29 and November 5 from 3:30 - 5:30 to measure speeds with radar speed guns on loan from the Police Department. 
  • NEW: How will success/failure be measured and how will we know if the pilot isn't working? Review the April 2016 draft metrics.  
• Recommendations for measuring public input from the New North End
  • ​NEW: the City's draft "Measuring Public Input" 
• "Before" data collection 
  • Summer 2015 vehicle volumes and speeds
  • Summer 2015 pedestrian and bicycle counts at intersections
  • Travel times 
  • Parking utilization 
  • NEW: for more detailed information, please visit the map-based data collection system hosted by the Vermont Agency of Transportation at http://vtrans.ms2soft.com/
• Options for parking and bike lanes between Institute Road - VT 127 and between Shore Road - Plattsburg Avenue 
  • Inviting adjacent neighbors to the October and November Task Force meetings, preparing for a December 2015 recommendation to the Public Works Commission
• Options for implementing three parts of the pilot project in 2016, how each small project influences the other, and traffic simulations to understand what the impacts may be of:
  • Bike lanes (protected, buffered, and/or regular bike lanes) between VT 127 - Institute Road, between Shore Road - Plattsburg Avenue, with special consideration at St. Mark's Church, and between Institute Road - Berry Street
  • 4-to-3 lane conversion between VT 127 and Shore Road
  • VT 127 intersection as a 4-way approach by closing the ramps to and from Route 127 (video simulations available at www.avenueforeveryone.com)
• Coordinate other short-term improvements
  • 5 new crosswalks to be installed (at Ward Street, Burlington College, Village Green / Killarney Drive, Gosse Court, and Green Acres Drive / Cayuga Court) with grant funding from the Vermont Agency of Transportation
  • Buffered bike lanes where bike lanes exist south of Institute Road
• Crash data from the North Avenue Corridor Study to better understand the need for the pilot project
  • NEW: Crash data comparison from several years of VTrans High Crash Reports
  • NEW: to search the crash database, visit the Vermont Agency of Transportation's Public Query Tool 
• DPW's project budget (updated 12/16/15) and schedule (COMING SOON)
• North Avenue Task Force's project website with pilot project details, FAQs, and more: www.avenueforeveryone.com
• NEW: the draft sign and marking plan (this is a large file and formatted for online viewing)

Upcoming Meetings: 

With the understanding that area Councilors will be advancing a Resolution to disband the Task Force at the May 16,2016 City Council meeting, future North Avenue Task Force meetings have been cancelled.  

The Task Force was intended to provide a forum for the community to be directly involved in the Pilot Project with the City. However, the process placed an unreasonable burden on Task Force members as community volunteers. For their commitment to the process and their community, the Department of Public Works commends the Task Force members for their s. 

While the Task Force meetings won't continue, DPW remains committed to sincere community engagement throughout this project and invites the community to attend a public meeting at 6:30 pm on June 7, 2016 at the Miller Center at 130 Gosse Court.

TASK FORCE

The North Avenue Task Force was created by City Council resolution to work with the Department of Public Works for implementation of the North Avenue Corridor Study recommendations and to present designs, findings, and recommendations to the Transportation, Energy, and Utiltiies Committee and the Public Works Commission. 

Task Force Co-Chairs:
Paul Sisson 
VACANT

Task Force members (appointed per City Council resolution):

Task Force Meeting Materials:

March 30, 2015 Meeting #1 Agenda and Meeting Notes
Packet: Task Force Operating Guidelines

May 19, 2015 Meeting #2 Agenda and Meeting Notes 
Packet: Pilot Project Metrics draft and CCRPC data collection update

June 15, 2015 Meeting #3 Agenda and Meeting Notes 

July 14, 2015 Meeting #4 Agenda and Meeting Notes

August 11, 2015 Meeting #5 Agenda and Meeting Notes

September 15, 2015 - Miller Center Agenda and Meeting Notes

October 13, 2015 - Miller Center Agenda and Meeting Notes

November 10, 2015 - Miller Center - Agenda and Meeting Notes

December 8, 2015 - BPD Community Room - Agenda and Packet (Public Input draft) + Meeting Notes

January 12, 2016 - Miller Center - Agenda and Packet (Recommendations for Measuring Public Input from the New North End) and Meeting Notes

February 9, 2016 - Miller Center, meeting Agenda and Meeting Notes
Packet: Survey Questions Memo, City Attorney's Memo, Task Force Talking Points

March 8, 2016 - BPD Community Room
Agenda and Meeting Notes
Handout #1: developing "eject button" metrics and metrics to measure success/failure
Handout #2: infographic of metrics

April 12, 2016 - Miller Center
Agenda
Task Force Roles & Responsibilities - draft
Metrics - draft
Metrics infographic - draft
Measuring Public Input - draft
Draft plans (this is a very large file, formatted for online viewing)
Watch the recorded meeting on CCTV 
Minutes - draft

NORTH AVENUE CORRIDOR STUDY

The 2011 Burlington Transportation Plan classified the North Avenue corridor as a Complete Street, which must carry all modes of transportation and accommodate all modes equally. While the existing North Avenue corridor generally accommodates the automobile first, it is not a very friendly corridor for any mode -- even the automobile.

The North Avenue Corridor Study evaluated the transportation conditions between North Street and Plattsburg Avenue from a holistic, Complete Streets perspective. The recommended actions aim to remake the corridor to better accommodate all users. The Corridor Plan was endorsed by the City Council in October 2013. A North Avenue Task Force has been created to work with the City to implement the recommedations within the Corridor Plan. 

For more information on the corridor study, including meeting minutes, presentations, and reports please visit the CCRPC's project website.

PROJECT MANAGER: Nicole Losch