Challenge
The Ada County Highway District (ACHD) is responsible for all local roads within Idaho’s most populous county, including all roads in Boise, Meridian, Kuna, Eagle, Star, and Garden City. After Ada County voters approved additional funding for walking and biking projects at the local level, ACHD needed a way to effectively plan how it would improve walking and biking routes to schools and other community destinations. ACHD had already completed a county-wide bike master plan and sidewalk inventory, but needed a way to identify the most important connections at the local level.
Solution
Kittelson worked with ACHD to develop a template for preparing walking and biking plans at the neighborhood level. These plans feature extensive community outreach to identify the most important destinations and critical issues to address. Resulting projects are then prioritized to ensure that funds are efficiently allocated.
The Outcome
Filling in Missing Links to Create Safer Communities
Since the template was developed, several of these neighborhood bicycle and pedestrian plans have been completed. Kittelson has led the development of three of them, including the first two in the Central Bench area of Boise and Downtown Meridian, and most recently, one for the North Boise area. As a result of these plans, several sidewalk gaps have been filled, curb ramps have been installed where they were missing or deficient, and a number of neighborhood bikeways have been designated through signs, markings, and enhanced crossings.
