Challenge

One-mile-long Mannakee Street connects a number of popular destinations, including the largest Montgomery College campus, Welsh Park, the Rockville Swim and Fitness Center, and residential neighborhoods. While these destinations invite pedestrian and bicycle activity, the street primarily serves vehicles and lacks protected bicycle facilities and comfortable crossings for people walking.

Although Mannakee Street has transit service near Montgomery Community College, connected sidewalks, and nearby bike routes, all transportation modes are not accommodated equally.

Mannakee Street is within a Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) Equity Emphasis Area and an MWCOG regional activity center, making it a key candidate for safety enhancements.

Solution

The Kittelson team conducted a complete streets feasibility study to improve multimodal safety and comfort. The study explored corridor redesign alternatives that support all travel modes and people of all ages and abilities. The team also analyzed existing conditions, evaluated the design alternatives, and produced graphics and materials to engage and inform the public about the study.

The study team produced three preliminary design alternatives that incorporate strategies for improving both corridors and intersections in the study area:

Option 1: Traffic Calming – This alternative focuses on calming traffic throughout the corridor to make it less stressful for people biking to share the road with people driving.

Option 2: Bicycle Corridor Improvements – Improving bicycle facilities along the corridor while minimizing parking impacts was the basis for this alternative.

Option 3: Multimodal Redesign – This redesign option proposes bicycle facilities along the corridor and a shared-use path along certain segments.

Kittelson’s final report at the study’s end overviewed the three alternatives and their costs, safety benefits, travel impacts, and implementation timelines.