An update on improvements in Porter Square

This memo is in response to Policy Order Number 15 from the August 17th, 2017 City Council Meeting (Awaiting Report 17-65) requesting an update on the infrastructure changes being planned for the Porter Square intersection.

The original study of Porter Square was completed last year, and recommended changes to improve safety and operations for all users in Porter Square, in particular through changes to the traffic signal that will simplify the intersection, create safer conditions for pedestrians and cyclists, and reduce delay for all modes. Following up on that original study, we recently retained the services of a design consultant (CDM Smith) through one of the City’s on-call design contracts to work on further development of this project. The consultant will prepare design and construction documents for the Porter Square signal project, which will also include minor changes to the geometric design of the intersection.

We expect that the consulting team will be starting the design process before the end of this month, with construction documents expected to be completed over the winter. Recognizing that there is significant community interest in the potential changes to this intersection and therefore a strong need for a clear and open community engagement process, we are aiming to conduct a community meeting during the first half of November. We are also planning to attend at least one additional meeting with the Porter Square Neighborhood Association and to meet directly with the management of the Porter Square Shopping Center within that same time frame, to provide multiple opportunities for input from key stakeholders, local residents, and nearby businesses. This schedule should allow us to advertise the construction work early in 2018 and begin construction of the signal and roadway improvements in spring 2018. We expect a relatively short construction schedule with the work anticipated to take four to six weeks to complete.