Item No.
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
BY: MATTHEW BAUMGARDNER, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS/CITY
ENGINEER
DATE: OCTOBER 8, 2024
SUBJECT: DISCUSSION REGARDING BEAUTIFICATION OF INTERSECTION
MEDIANS AT FLORENCE AVENUE AND LAKEWOOD BOULEVARD,
FIRESTONE BOULEVARD AND LAKEWOOD BOULEVARD, AND
FIRESTONE BOULEVARD AND DOWNEY AVENUE
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City Council will consider options for beautifying the raised medians located at the intersections of Florence Avenue and Lakewood Boulevard, Firestone Boulevard and Lakewood Boulevard, and Firestone Boulevard and Downey Avenue. Staff is providing options for filling the narrow, 2-foot-wide raised median section closest to the intersection with different hardscape material. Currently, these intersections are filled with vegetation or asphalt.
RECOMMENDATION
That the City Council:
1. Discuss the options for beautifying the raised medians located at the intersections of Florence Avenue and Lakewood Boulevard, Firestone Boulevard and Lakewood Boulevard, and Firestone Boulevard and Downey Avenue; and
2. Provide direction on options for beautifying these raised medians.
BACKGROUND
Previously, the City Council directed staff to return at a future meeting to discuss options for beautifying the raised medians located at the intersections of Florence Avenue and Lakewood Boulevard, Firestone Boulevard and Lakewood Boulevard, and Firestone Boulevard and Downey Avenue. At the intersection of Florence Avenue and Lakewood Boulevard, the raised medians are either filled with asphalt (along Florence Avenue) or mulch (along Lakewood Boulevard). The intersections of Lakewood Boulevard and Downey Avenue with Firestone Boulevard are filled with various types of vegetation.
DISCUSSION REGARDING BEAUTIFICATION OF INTERSECTION MEDIANS AT FLORENCE AVENUE
AND LAKEWOOD BOULEVARD, FIRESTONE BOULEVARD AND LAKEWOOD BOULEVARD, AND
FIRESTONE BOULEVARD AND DOWNEY AVENUE
OCTOBER 8, 2024
PAGE 2
Raised Median at Florence Avenue (intersection with Lakewood)
Raised Median at Lakewood Boulevard (intersection with Florence)
DISCUSSION REGARDING BEAUTIFICATION OF INTERSECTION MEDIANS AT FLORENCE AVENUE
AND LAKEWOOD BOULEVARD, FIRESTONE BOULEVARD AND LAKEWOOD BOULEVARD, AND
FIRESTONE BOULEVARD AND DOWNEY AVENUE
OCTOBER 8, 2024
PAGE 3
Lakewood Boulevard (intersection with Firestone Boulevard)
The raised medians along Florence Avenue are surrounded by concrete pavement, while the other raised median locations are surrounded by asphalt. There is currently is no irrigation installed in the Florence Avenue medians, and this is why they have not been filled with vegetation over the years. The raised medians that are filled with mulch or vegetation are currently serviced by irrigation.
ANALYSIS
Raised medians that are located at major intersections in the City are typically two feet in width and are referred to as the nose of the median. Raised medians further back from the intersection vary in width (6 to 14 feet in width) and are typically filled with vegetation and serviced by irrigation. As you approach the intersection, the median typically narrows down to two feet in width to accommodate the left-turn pocket.
Nose (two-foot width) adjacent left turn pocket
DISCUSSION REGARDING BEAUTIFICATION OF INTERSECTION MEDIANS AT FLORENCE AVENUE
AND LAKEWOOD BOULEVARD, FIRESTONE BOULEVARD AND LAKEWOOD BOULEVARD, AND
FIRESTONE BOULEVARD AND DOWNEY AVENUE
OCTOBER 8, 2024
PAGE 4
The noses tend to get run over by large commercial trucks during left turn movements, as seen in the photo below.
The proximity of the median noses to idling vehicles also creates conditions for the vegetation that results in a brown, stressed appearance. Left-turn movements also tend to run over and break irrigation risers that are located within the nose, and this can make it difficult to service the vegetation properly with irrigation.
Brown, stressed appearance of vegetation in the nose.
DISCUSSION REGARDING BEAUTIFICATION OF INTERSECTION MEDIANS AT FLORENCE AVENUE
AND LAKEWOOD BOULEVARD, FIRESTONE BOULEVARD AND LAKEWOOD BOULEVARD, AND
FIRESTONE BOULEVARD AND DOWNEY AVENUE
OCTOBER 8, 2024
PAGE 5
Staff recommends ending the practice of installing vegetation in median noses throughout the City. Vegetation can still be installed in the wider portions of the raised medians, as cars typically travel past these points and do not idle next to them for long periods like they are at the median nose.
Options for improving the median noses
There are a few common ways for improving the raised median noses.
1. Some CIP projects in the past constructed the noses such that the wider section contained vegetation before transitioning to the nose section filled with light-tan colored concrete. An example of this is found at the intersection of Paramount Boulevard and 5th Street.
2. Other options include using stamped concrete:
DISCUSSION REGARDING BEAUTIFICATION OF INTERSECTION MEDIANS AT FLORENCE AVENUE
AND LAKEWOOD BOULEVARD, FIRESTONE BOULEVARD AND LAKEWOOD BOULEVARD, AND
FIRESTONE BOULEVARD AND DOWNEY AVENUE
OCTOBER 8, 2024
PAGE 6
3. The median noses can also be filled with cobbles, as shown in the following photo:
The cost for removing asphalt, irrigation, and vegetation and installing colored or stamped concrete in the noses is approximately $10,000 per median nose and $20,000 for cobble- filled median nose. This includes traffic control needed to do this work at the major intersections.
There are four noses at each intersection. As a result, the costs for improving each intersection would be $40,000 for stamped or colored concrete or $80,000 for coble-filled concrete.
In addition to the options for improving the median noses located at the intersections of Florence Avenue and Lakewood Boulevard, Firestone Boulevard and Lakewood Boulevard, and Firestone Boulevard and Downey Avenue, staff can also improve the crosswalk markings with new thermoplastic paint markings to increase visibility for pedestrians. Improvements at Firestone Boulevard, and Lakewood Boulevard can be completed as part of the future intersection improvement project anticipated to begin in January 2025. The improvements to noses at Firestone Boulevard and Downey Avenue
DISCUSSION REGARDING BEAUTIFICATION OF INTERSECTION MEDIANS AT FLORENCE AVENUE
AND LAKEWOOD BOULEVARD, FIRESTONE BOULEVARD AND LAKEWOOD BOULEVARD, AND
FIRESTONE BOULEVARD AND DOWNEY AVENUE
OCTOBER 8, 2024
PAGE 7
can be completed as part of the Downey Avenue Pavement Rehabilitation project anticipated to begin in February 2025. The improvements at the intersection of Florence Avenue and Lakewood Boulevard can be completed as part of the annual Citywide Median and Concrete Improvements projects.
CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES
Quality of Life, Safety & Infrastructure
FISCAL IMPACT
The costs associated with these improvements are shown in the following table:
Description Amount
Option 1 or 2: Colored or Stamped Concrete-filled median noses $40,000
Thermoplastic Crosswalk Markings on Pavement $2,000
Total Estimated Project Cost: $42,000
Description Amount
Option 3: Cobble-filled median noses $80,000
Thermoplastic Crosswalk Markings on Pavement $2,000
Total Estimated Project Cost: $82,000
There is sufficient fund balance available for these improvements in the following accounts:
Account No. Funding Source Amount
40-1-6842 Annual Concrete Improvements – City wide $100,000 Total Available Funding: $150,000