To improve pedestrian crossing safety, improve bicycle safety and comfort, and improve traffic speeds. Staff has received complaints from local neighbors who feel unsafe crossing Via Appia, particularly the students crossing to Louisville Middle School and at the Recreation and Senior Center.

More Context: Via Appia is a major through street that bisects multiple single family residential neighborhoods and connects South Boulder Road to McCaslin Boulevard. While Dillon Road, McCaslin Boulevard, South Boulder Road, and CO-42 (Courtesy Road) are also arterial streets, most of the uses directly off of those corridors are commercial, industrial, or multi-family, with only a small amount of single family residential. Vehicular traffic volumes on Via Appia are significantly lower than those on Dillon, McCaslin, South Boulder and CO-42. The Transportation Master Plan (adopted by City Council in 2019) identified multiple projects on the Via Appia corridor intended to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety and comfort while aiming to reduce vehicular speeds. The City has seen recent auto-pedestrian accidents on Polk/Dahlia, Cherry Street, South Boulder Road, CO-42 and is looking to take a more proactive approach to safety. This project is the Engineering staff’s recommendation to proactively improve the overall safety of the corridor before an incident occurs.

This is not a new project for the City but was brought back as a part of the 2023 maintenance restriping program as a lower cost way to achieve many of the goals of previous project plans. Improvements on Via Appia are a part of the Transportation Master Plan that was adopted by City Council in 2019 and were included in a request for funding from the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) in 2022 and 2023. Engineering staff consistently receives calls from concerned residents requesting safety improvements for the existing pedestrian crossings along the corridor.

Engineering staff evaluated multiple factors when making the recommended improvements with improved safety for all users as the guiding principle. Staff used Transportation Master Plan recommendations as a guide, conducted digital simulations and field observations, and used industry standards and professional judgement to make the recommendations.

Traffic counts and speed data were collected in multiple locations along the corridor in early December 2023. Industry standards, including the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, U.S. DOT Safe System Approach principles and objectives, Federal Highway Administration Proven Safety Countermeasures, and CDOT’s Safer Main Streets Initiative were referenced to guide the recommendations in the proposed changes.

Vehicles exceeding the speed limit (approximately 7 mph over posted speed limits, on average) as well as the length of crossings for pedestrians are the main concerns that have been raised regarding the existing pedestrian crossings.

More Context: The table below shows the existing and proposed maximum unprotected pedestrian crossing lengths on Via Appia with a comparison to crossings on South Boulder Road. Reducing the length of unprotected crossing lengths will allow pedestrians to cross one lane at a time, reducing the potential for an incident to occur.

Via Appia Pedestrian Crossings

South Boulder Road Pedestrian Crossings

There are numerous options to improve pedestrian crossings beyond what currently exists on the corridor. Below are the costs of the options for pedestrian crossing improvements:

Staff evaluated numerous options to improve major intersections, particularly at the intersection with Pine Street. Below are the costs of the options considered:

A traffic signal or all-way stop would increase delays on Via Appia and increase emissions and noise from additional braking and accelerating.

More Context: Engineering staff does not recommend a traffic signal for multiple reasons. The increased noise and increased emissions from additional braking and accelerating at a traffic signal would be a decrease to the surrounding neighborhoods’ quality of life. The existing time for a vehicle to make a through or left turn movement from Pine onto Via Appia is currently averaging less than 20 seconds during peak hours. Adding a traffic signal would increase this time due to signal cycle lengths.

For similar reasons, Engineering staff does not recommend an all-way stop. As with a signal, increased noise due to braking and accelerating would be a detriment to the surrounding neighborhoods’ quality of life. Second, the current level of service for vehicles entering Via Appia from Pine Street is acceptable during peak hours. Were an all-way stop to be installed, there would be a negligible benefit for vehicles entering Pine Street and a detriment to through traffic. Studies have shown that when vehicle volumes in the major direction are significantly greater than the side streets, that drivers will often “roll” through the stop. This would potentially occur frequently during off-peak times as the volumes entering from Pine Street are minimal. This would create less predictability and potentially a false sense of security for pedestrians looking to cross Via Appia. Lastly, studies have shown that stop signs are not adequate traffic calming measures. Often drivers will exhibit hard braking habits and hard acceleration to make up for lost time. Staff will continue to monitor the intersection after improvements are made and review the potential for a roundabout.

The brief and infrequent delays for drivers resulting from a lane reduction, while momentarily frustrating, represent a reasonable sacrifice for improved safety.

More Context: The length of Via Appia between South Boulder Road and McCaslin Boulevard is approximately 1.6 miles. The table below shows the travel time for different vehicle speeds for this length.

Thus, a vehicle traveling at the speed limit which gets “stuck” behind another vehicle going 25 mph would experience an approximate delay of just 1 minute and 7 seconds. An infrequent, approximately one-minute increase in trip time is a small price to pay to provide increased safety for all users of the roadway.

The addition of a traffic signal at one of the major intersections along the corridor would also introduce up to a one-minute delay for through traffic. An all-way stop at one of the major intersections could increase travel time by up to 11 seconds per vehicle for through traffic.

Because the proposed project only involves pavement marking, including removal of existing pavement markings, an interim project is recommended to reduce the amount of removal of pavement markings. Pavement markings are removed by grinding, which leaves scarring on the pavement that can be confusing for drivers, especially with solar glare. The interim project leaves the bike lanes at 5 feet wide and includes the median marking on the former dashed line between the two lanes in each direction to avoid potential confusion of the marking locations. If the interim project is successful, the ultimate condition could be implemented with the annual pavement maintenance project on Via Appia in a few years so that the markings are done on a new pavement surface.