1 week Ago By Amy Maginnis-Honey
FAIRFIELD — The City Council will meet at 6 p.m. on Tuesday to discuss reducing the number of traffic lanes on West Texas Street.
The council is also expected to vote on resolution supporting shipbuilding in and efforts to attract shipbuilding to Solano County. It was coordinated with city managers from cities across the county. Following a series of community outreach events, at which about 300 people participated, the redesign of West Texas Street was listed as a high priority.
The plan seeks to replace the five-lane highway design for West Texas with three lanes. It includes separated bikeways, widened sidewalks, landscaped buffers and two additional marked crossings: one new traffic signal at Second Street and one rectangular rapid flashing beacon near First Street. The proposal includes a raised center median between First Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, as well as portions of West Texas between Beck Avenue and Fifth Street.
"Center medians prohibit left turns and are considered with special care," the agenda reads. "Additionally, center medians have the benefit of improving safety and traffic flow. An analysis of crash data for West Texas Street showed that the block between First Street and Pennsylvania Avenue had a very high rate of serious," A review of five years’ worth of data showed 35% of crashes and 65% of fatalities along the entire stretch of the project occurred in this block and involved many turns into or out of driveways.
This section of West Texas Street also has a school crossing. Data in the center median in this block was necessary to address this history of issues and provide necessary safety for all modes of transportation, the agenda states. The median between Beck Avenue and 5th Street was added for safety and improved traffic flow.
Roxanne Stine is not a fan of the plan. She and her husband have owned Ding's Cocktail Lounge across from Allan Witt Park since 1999. "There are so many reasons they should not (reconfigure traffic)," she said, including a proposed 100-apartment complex behind the bar.
Additionally, the section leads to eastbound and westbound Interstate 80 on-ramps. Many people are not aware of the proposal, she said. It's part of the Heart of Fairfield plan.
Stine feels the city is relying too much on traffic studies. "Calibrated with real-world examples shows that the overall capacity of the new three-lane complete streets configuration is only slightly less than the five-lane configuration and has adequate capacity to handle the projected traffic volumes," the agenda reads. The resolution recommends Ghilotti Brothers, Inc.
, of San Rafael, for the construction. The total project authorization is just shy of $11.6 million, which includes a 15% contingency to account for potential unforeseen underground utility conflicts during construction.
Construction is estimated to last about nine months. As for the shipbuilding, the City Council in January identified economic development as a top priority. "Attracting new businesses and well-paid jobs will play a critical role in ensuring Fairfield’s financial sustainability well into the future, the agenda reads.
The resolution expresses the council's full support in attracting new shipbuilding facilities to Solano County. It also authorizes the city manager to work with regional partners to help in attracting necessary investment, and calls on elected representatives in Sacramento and Washington D.C.
to support regional efforts to restore and enhance shipbuilding in Solano. The meeting is in the Harry T. Price Memorial Council Chamber, 1000 Webster St.
Find the agenda at https://www.fairfield.ca.
gov/government/city-council/city-council-meetings ..
