CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN Town of Atlantic Beach, - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN Town of Atlantic Beach, North Carolina Final Report | June, 2019

CONTENTS 01 01 Project Vision + Goals 02 02 Study Area 03 03 Existing Conditions 04 04 Visual Analysis 05 05 Charrette 06 06 Final Recommendations 07 07 Opinion of Probable Cost CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

01| 01| PROJECT VISION + GOALS CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

PROJECT VISION + GOALS • Maintain or increase the # of parking spaces for businesses • Manage traffic speed and flow along the Causeway • Improve ped/bike/golf cart flow along the Causeway • Improve relationship between Causeway buildings and the streets • Identify opportunities for landscaping • Improve visibility for businesses through wayfinding CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

02| 02| STUDY AREA CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

ATLANTIC BEACH - MOREHEAD CITY BRIDGE The study area is defined as the 0.7 mile ile c corrido idor of the Atlantic Beach Causeway between the Morehead City Bridge and Fort Macon Road. The Causeway is a gatew eway for the Town, and it is the first thing visitors see when driving over the bridge.

ATLANTIC BEACH - MOREHEAD CITY BRIDGE SE SEGMENT 2 NT 2 SEGMENT 1: Morehead City Bridge to Old Causeway Road SEGMENT 2: Old Causeway Road to Fort Macon Road CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

03| 03| EXISTING CONDITIONS CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

ATLANTIC BEACH - MOREHEAD CITY BRIDGE LAND USE ANALYSIS CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

ATLANTIC BEACH - MOREHEAD CITY BRIDGE EA EASTBOU OUND ND: 8,600 AADT SEG SEGMENT ENT 2 2: 17,000 AADT WE WESTBO BOUND: D: 14,000 AADT TRAFFIC VOLUMES SEGMENT 1: Morehead City Bridge to Old Causeway Road SEGMENT 2: Old Causeway Road to Fort Macon Road CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

ATLANTIC BEACH - MOREHEAD CITY BRIDGE CRASH DATA CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

ATLANTIC BEACH - MOREHEAD CITY BRIDGE SEGMENT 1: Morehead City Bridge to Old Causeway Road CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

SEGMENT 1: Morehead City Bridge to Old Causeway Road EX EXISTING NG C COND ONDITIONS ONS CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

SEGMENT 1 OBSERVATIONS: • 5-lane road with shoulders (65’ pavement width) • Narrow sidewalk on both sides (4-5’) • Narrow sidewalk buffer, lacks vertical separation • Center turn lane continues throughout entire segment • High speed, high traffic • Excessive driveways/curb cuts • Lacks pedestrian crossings CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

ATLANTIC BEACH - MOREHEAD CITY BRIDGE SEG SEGMENT ENT 2 2 SEGMENT 2: Old Causeway Road to Fort Macon Road CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

SEGMENT 2: Old Causeway Road to Fort Macon Road EX EXISTING NG C COND ONDITIONS ONS CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

SEGMENT 2 OBSERVATIONS: • 6-lane road (70’ pavement width) • Narrow sidewalk on both sides (4-5’) • Narrow sidewalk buffer that goes away as the segment approaches Fort Macon Road • Center turn lane continues throughout entire segment • Right-of-way shifts from 200’ to 100’ after El Zarape • Lacks pedestrian crossings • Medium-high speed, high traffic CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

existing parking lot connectivity CIRCULATION additional access points OBSERVATIONS: • Most parking lots are informally connected through gravel or pavement • Cars visiting businesses often travel low-speed through connecting parking lots to reach their destination • The majority of parking lots have 2-5 driveways connecting to the Causeway CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

04| 04| VISUAL ANALYSIS CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

POLES + WIRES • The number of poles and wires creates visual clutter throughout the corridor • Distracts from business frontages and coastal scenery, especially when driving over the bridge CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

SIGNAGE Text is small, and difficult to read when driving past A-frame sign blocks narrow pedestrian corridor Every business uses a different design for their temporary signage, the lack of design continuity feels cluttered and distracting CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

LANDSCAPING • Landscaping is sparse and offers little to no shade • Many stretches of planting areas without any landscaping CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

SURFACE TREATMENTS Drainage Issues Cars parking on gravel, grass, + Poles sitting pavement; lacks clear in the middle pavement markings of lots; cars have to maneuver around them Indistinct circulation Lacks clean edges patterns between different surface types; pavement is in disrepair CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

EXCESSIVE CURB CUTS 5 4 3 2 1 • At this location, there are 5 bi-directional driveways serving a single parking lot • Excessive curb cuts segment the pedestrian realm and enhance the auto-centric feel of the corridor • There is an opportunity to consolidate driveways where feasible to make circulation more intuitive and predictable for drivers, and to create more parking CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

05| 05| CHARRETTE CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

APRIL 4-5, 2019 • Steering Committee/Kickoff Meeting – Met with town officials and local business owners to discuss opportunities and constraints along the Causeway – Site tour along the Causeway with the steering committee to gather more information, including a visual analysis – Meeting allowed consultant team and steering committee to develop a shared vision for the corridor • Work Session – Open to the public – Consultant team developed solutions on-site with input from local residents and business owners • Draft Vision Presentation – Open to the public – Presented preliminary ideas for the Causeway and gathered feedback from residents and business owners (Above) The steering committee takes a tour of the corridor on April 4, 2019. CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

06| 06| FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

ATLANTIC BEACH - MOREHEAD CITY BRIDGE SHOPPING CENTER Morehead City Bridge to Moonlight Drive Moonlight Drive to Exxon Gas Station Exxon Gas Station to Fort Macon Road

OVERALL PLAN AT ATLANT ANTIC B BEAC EACH CAU AUSEW EWAY AY 1. Parking lots connect to create a slow-speed 5. Crossing improvements with median refuge islands fron ontag age r road oad with on-street parking (shared lanes 6. 12-foot meandering multi-use path for bikes, are bike + golf cart-friendly) pedestrians, + golf carts when the frontage road 2. Sidewalk shifts back from the Causeway (widens ends buffer + creates space for landscaping + shade trees) 7. Wayfinding signage replaces temporary signs and 3. Driveways consolidated where feasible to formalize directs visitors to public parking, boat access points, entrances + exits restaurants + shops 4. Artistic crosswalks and plaza opportunities to enhance pedestrian safety and boost placemaking CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

Morehead City Bridge to RECOMMENDATIONS: Moonlight Drive CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

THE CAUSEWAY AT MOONLIGHT DRIVE EXISTING CONDITIONS • Gravel, grass, + broken pavement all blend together • Parking spaces are informal and unstriped • Utility poles sit in the middle of the lot • No connection (pedestrian facility or visually) to existing storefronts • Sidewalk lacks a significant buffer from the road • No shade or pedestrian amenities CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

THE CAUSEWAY AT MOONLIGHT DRIVE PROPOSED CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

THE CAUSEWAY AT MOONLIGHT DRIVE PROPOSED • Intersection improvements: artistic to highlight town’s local flavor/enhance placemaking; prioritizes pedestrian movement/increases visibility of pedestrians • Pedestrian improvements: • Str treet f t furnitu ture faces storefronts (rather than the street) • Low-growing flowering veg eget etation on + shade e trees ees increase buffer space between sidewalk + road (doubles as rain garden) • Pedestrian-scale lighti ting and branded wayfind nding ng improves walking experience • Circulation improvements: • Bump-outs protect poles from vehicles and act as traffic-calming tool • Clear pavement markings and striped spaces are more intuitive for drivers, golf carts + bicyclists CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

Moonlight Drive to Exxon RECOMMENDATIONS: Gas Station CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN

Exxon Gas Station to Fort RECOMMENDATIONS: Macon Road CAUSEWAY CORRIDOR | CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN