|
Mobility Commission hears public concerns on Canyon rehab project |
|
|
Thursday, 26 June 2008 |
By Stacey Powells
Mammoth Times Staff Writer
 Canyon Boulevard is slated for a remake. Streetlights, north-side sidewalk and new drainage will hopefully be under construction by spring 2009.PHOTO BY STACEY POWELLS
When the project is finished, Canyon Boulevard will be done from the upper parking lot down to North Village. “There will be a complete storm drain system, a sidewalk on the north side of the street and streetlights at each intersection from Forest Trail down to Hillside,” Milne said.
Milne also told the Commission that they will narrow the road down to 11 feet and the alignment of the road will be shifted to the south. “There will also be three bus stops on the road – at Horseshoe, Crystal and Forest Trail.”
Commissioner Bill Cockroft asked about relocating the bus stops since the buses won't be able to pull over out of the flow of traffic on Canyon. When Cockroft questioned the bus stop shelters, he was told there are no current plans to build bus shelters.
“One homeowner suggested to make Canyon Boulevard a one-way street so the traffic can go up Canyon and down Lakeview Boulevard,” Milne said.
The discussion always came back to snow removal. “This is the million-dollar question around town,” said the Mammoth Lakes Public Works Director Ray Jarvis. “What do we do with the snow when we have too much of it and nowhere to put it?” Hauling snow away is expensive and as of now, there are no plans to remove the snow from the sidewalk on Canyon once it's complete.
Milne told the Mobility Commission that the Public Engineering Department hopes to get the bid for the rehabilitation project in the fall of 2008 so it can start the construction in the spring of 2009.
Transportation for all seasons
Bill Manning, Director of Airport and Transportation and part of the Mobility Commission staff, said that having routes that are the same all year round is a priority. Working with John Helm of ESTA (Eastern Sierra Transit Authority), they both agree that route consistency is important. “We have shoulder seasons that are slightly different and some of the routes phase out in the spring altogether,” Manning said. “It makes sense to have routes that are as seamless as possible.”
ESTA is preparing a regional short-range transit plan that includes routes to and from the Lake Mary Basin, Reds Meadow, YARTZ, and routes to and from Bishop. Another aspect of transit in motion is a branding program. “We want all the buses in the region to have a similar motif of some description,” Manning said. “Whether it be signs or stripes and a common color theme. That's our goal.”
Additionally, they will be focusing and upgrading signage so the ski area and the Town have common signs. “We also want the signs to interact with the MLTPA signs.”
|
|
Last Updated ( Thursday, 03 July 2008 )
|
