Challenge

In 2016, Klamath County, Oregon, ranked near the bottom of Oregon counties in health outcomes, while ranking about average in terms of clinical care. In response to this disparity, the Healthy Klamath partnership began to look for opportunities to improve health outcomes outside of the realm of traditional medicine. They decided to focus on the built environment and identified a specific location in Klamath Falls that could benefit from a more walkable and bike-friendly environment. Kittelson was brought in to identify the specific route for a low-stress bikeway that would best connect downtown Klamath Falls to Moore Park.

Solution

We focused on designing a bikeway that would provide surrounding residents with more opportunities to walk and bike, while calming traffic and helping to revitalize a neighborhood that has seen local businesses leave. Kittelson worked with Sky Lakes Wellness Center, its partners, and the City of Klamath Falls to develop the plan for a protected bike lane connecting downtown Klamath Falls to Moore Park.

The project team analyzed impacts on traffic lanes and operations, on-street parking, maintenance considerations, access to businesses, visibility, vertical grades, and general implementation costs, and developed five design concepts that met the objectives of the corridor plan. We held three public open houses and one virtual open house to get community input. This input, along with more detailed analyses of alternatives, led to selection of a preferred concept including a two-way protected bike lane.  The project team shared the preferred concept at the third open house and received near unanimous support from attendees.