MILEGROUND POINTS

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed reconfiguration of the Mileground (WV 705) in Morgantown. This is a great opportunity to redevelop this corridor into a welcoming entryway for commuters, residents, and visitors to our beautiful City. Alternative 5L(B) is comparable to the Patteson Drive/Van Voorhis Rd/Chestnut Ridge Rd (WV 705) corridor in Morgantown, a roughly 1.7 mile stretch of road (about 1.3% of the 133 road miles in Morgantown) that has seen 17% of vehicular accidents and 8% of all pedestrian-vehicle accidents in Morgantown in the last 6 years.

I support alternative 4L(B), not the DOH preferred option - alternative 5L(B) - for the WV 705 project with the following features:
1) a median divider designed so that only emergency vehicles can drive over it, 
2) roundabouts at both the WV 705/Mileground intersection (near new school) and at Hartman Run Road (by the airport), 
3) sidewalks on both sides of the road with greenspace buffer from traffic,
4) a well-designed pedestrian crossing at the WV 705/Mileground intersection - for our school children
5) a signalized pedestrian-activated signal with crosswalk at midblock to meet ADA standards (with cut in median to allow for wheelchairs/strollers) with nearby dedicated bus stops
6) 10-foot center lanes with 11-foot outer lanes (for bicycles) --- OR all 10-foot wide lanes with "bikes may use entire lane" signs and 
7) 30 mph speed limit (which is approximately the average estimated speed with alternative 4L(B))

I support this for the following reasons, using the February 2011 Mileground Road Traffic Analysis conducted by Entran for the Division of Highways, which reported "When considering overall traffic flow along Mileground Road, the Four-Lane alternative provided the best results, primarily due to the raised median and elimination of left turns," as support:
*Cost - alternative 4L(B) will save money on the purchase of right-of-way when compared with alternative 5L(B) (nearly 50% of the estimated project cost)
*Aesthetics - the current configuration is extremely ugly - a median would allow for plantings such as low shrubs and/or flowers
*Vehicle safety - according to the Entran report, in alternative 5L(B) "crash experience is expected to increase" and 4L(B) would have "crash experience lower than 5-Lane"
*Cyclist safety - by narrowing the lanes, providing appropriate signage, and limiting vehicular speed, cyclists would be more safe
*Pedestrian access- there are hundreds of houses within an easy walking distance of the businesses and the soon-to-be-built school on the Mileground. Limiting the accessibility for pedestrians would increase the likelihood of driving and put more vehicles on the road
*Pedestrian safety - crossing the Mileground without ANY legal option in alternative 5L(B) is illegal and extremely unsafe, even though workers on the Mileground NEED do so for at least one business with offices on both sides of the road and I'm sure WANT to do so to access restaurants and snack shops
*Vehicle flow - the Entran report indicated that option 5L(B) would increase average speed from the current average of 21.2 mph to only 21.7 mph during the AM peak and from 7.7 to 8.3 mph in the PM peak, whereas alternative 4L(B) would increase these average speeds to 24.7 and 12.6 mph in the AM and PM, respectively
*Reduced delays - the Entran report indicated that option 5L(B) would actually INCREASE the average delay on the Mileground from the current 107.4 seconds/mile in the AM and 492 seconds/mile in the PM to 137.1 and 601.3 seconds/mile in the AM & PM, respectively, whereas alternative 4L(B) would REDUCE these delays to 99.3 and 387 seconds/mile in the AM & PM, respectively
*Reduced congestion - the average outbound traffic speed on the Mileground during the PM peak (the major traffic jam currently) is estimated to be approximately 30 mph with option 4L(B) whereas it is ONLY 15 MPH for option 5L(B)
*Intersection improvement - according to the Entran report "Capacity issues at intersections may remain" with alternative 5L(B)
*Business access - alternative 5L(B) would make turning left at any location other than the signalized intersections difficult, if not impossible, and may lead to many t-bone accidents, in comparison with the ease of flow of right-turns only and U-turns at roundabouts

Additional items to be considered for the project include
1) Install a sidewalk continuing along 705 on the school side of the road all the way to the Stewartstown Road intersection in Phase 1 of the project AND/OR create an alternative trail to connect the residences in the West Run valley with the new school and on to the Stewartstown Road intersection (and on to Suncrest Town Center)
2) Install a sidewalk on the uphill side of Easton Hill between Airport Rd and Donna Avenue (entrance to multiple businesses and residences)

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of my input. I look forward to seeing WV 705/Mileground Road becoming a beautiful, welcoming, safe corridor designed with all users in mind.