Summer 2011
Monument Boulevard project improves pedestrian access, adds bike lanes
A multi-year project to improve pedestrian access in the city's Monument Boulevard area is substantially complete. The Monument Corridor Pedestrian Infrastructure Improvements will allow easier access to BART, commercial centers and residential areas along Monument Boulevard from Carey Drive to Meadow Lane/Oak Grove Road, and on Meadow Lane from Monument Boulevard to Sunshine Drive.
The project includes constructing ADA improvements, such as curb ramps and pedestrian count-down signal heads, widening existing sidewalks, constructing colored concrete crosswalks at various intersections and installing roadway and pedestrian-level lights on portions of Monument Boulevard. In addition, bike lanes have been installed on Meadow Lane, and a traffic signal now stands at the intersection of Robin Lane and Meadow Lane.
The project was funded with a $1.2 million Surface Transportation Program grant, a $300,000 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant, and Redevelopment Agency funds.
The improvements were made in response to top infrastructure-related concerns raised before and during the Monument Corridor's Community Based Transportation Plan outreach process, which was conducted in 2005. Most outreach activities were conducted by the Monument Community Partnership (MCP), a non-profit collaboration of residents and social service organizations whose mission is to improve the health and safety of Monument residents.
Community participation rates were high during the outreach process, which included stakeholder meetings, two community meetings, surveys, and stakeholder interviews. The local transit agency (County Connection) and other stakeholders, such as social service organizations and the Transportation and Land Use Coalition, participated in the process. MCP was actively involved in identifying transportation barriers in the course of many neighborhood meetings.
Through the process, the community expressed a need for wider and safer sidewalks, bike routes, and safety improvements at Monument Boulevard and Meadow Lane/Oak Grove Road. The Monument Corridor has a high number of pedestrians, bicycle riders, and baby strollers using the sidewalk for travel. The number of households in the Monument Corridor without access to a vehicle is 18 percent, which is three times the county-wide average.
Although major bus lines serve Monument Boulevard and Meadow Lane, affordability, frequency of service, and lack of convenient transfers are among the major obstacles that prevent many Monument Corridor residents from using the service. For those without vehicles, the main alternatives to using the bus are walking and bicycling, which can now be done more safely thanks to the completion of this project.
The intersection of Meadow Lane and Robin Lane now has a new traffic light, as well as curb cuts to assist disabled residents, a bike lane and wider sidewalks
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