A Cedar Springs Re-Do?

MTF Member, and Transportation EIT Daniel DiJoseph frequently walks along the Cedar Springs corridor near where he lives. Daniel's been doing a little pro bono urban design, showing how that corridor could be re-engineered as a truly urban street. Let's let Daniel take it from here:

"The Cedar Springs corridor from Turtle Creek Blvd to Akard St is becoming the most densely developed corridor in Uptown Dallas. This corridor remains unfriendly to pedestrians and other non-car modes of transportation, largely due to high speeds, long intersection crossings, and no lanes for micromobility. Three five-legged intersections along this corridor are particularly unfriendly: at Routh St, Olive St, and Akard St.

The figure below shows how the Cedar Springs corridor could provide key linkages for non-car modes if facilities for these modes were provided. Facilities for non-car modes have shown to increase property values and commercial activity along routes where they are provided, meaning property owners, shops/restaurants, and the City of Dallas stand to benefit from the provision of these facilities.

The Cedar Springs corridor (shown as a red line) connects two access points to the Katy Trail (shown as yellow pins) to two proposed multimodal corridors in the Downtown Dallas 360 Plan (Harwood St and Field St, shown as dark blue lines). The Cedar Springs corridor could aid with first/last mile connections to the proposed D2 station along Museum Way and to the existing St Paul light rail station (via the proposed multimodal Harwood corridor).

The figure also shows existing and future large developments along the corridor.

Shown in light blue are existing developments along the corridor. Shown in green are developments under construction. Shown in pink are planned and proposed developments. Remaining lots along this corridor have high redevelopment potential. It is likely that a shift to non-car modes of transportation would take place if facilities for these modes were provided along the Cedar Springs corridor due to the density and mix of uses along this corridor and the connections it provides to existing and planned facilities for non-car modes.

Traffic volumes from 2014 indicate a maximum AADT of 16,601 at Pearl St. This is well within the range for which a road diet down to three lanes is feasible. The proposed changes shown below include a three lane road diet along Cedar Springs Rd, and a conversion to two-way operations between Olive St and Akard St. ‘MM’ stands for ‘Micromobility Lane’ on the typical sections below.

North of Olive St:

South of Olive St:

Proposed changes could increase the overall people throughput of the corridor, improve safety (by reducing speeds and reducing crossing distances at intersections), and improve quality of life for people who live and/or work in the area (by creating a more friendly environment for pedestrians and micromobility, giving people more freedom of choice)."

(More details are available from Daniel, who invites comments and suggestions from fellow TF members. Please feel free to email Daniel at daniel.dijoseph@hdrinc.com.)

Thanks Daniel!

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