The 32nd and Main Street intersection is a "T" intersection located in the western end of the Town. The intersection is very busy, particularly at the peak hours of weekdays 7:30 – 8:30 AM and 4:30-5:30 PM and Saturday 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM. At these times, it is difficult to turn onto Main Street.
The 32nd and Main Street intersection has three approaches. The northbound approach (32nd Street, Town maintained) is stop controlled while the eastbound and westbound approaches (W. Main Street, Business Route 7) are uncontrolled. All roadways have a posted speed limit of 25 mph. In the vicinity of the intersection, W. Main Street is a VDOT maintained two-lane road with curb and gutter to the east of 32nd Street and paved shoulders to the west. The eastbound approach to the intersection includes an exclusive right-turn lane with an effective storage length of approximately 130 feet. 32nd Street is a two-lane road that has a right-turn only lane and a very short left-turn lane along the northbound. It should be noted that Main Street is VDOT owned and maintained, so a close coordination with VDOT is needed throughout this project.
In order to study the intersection and provide solutions to mitigate the issues, the Town requested and was approved for VDOT Revenue Sharing funds allocated in FY2019 & 2020. The study of the intersection by the Town’s consultant Kimley-Horn began in May 2019. Kimley-Horn prepared several concept drawings showing potential intersection improvements. After informational meetings that sought input from the public, public surveys and meetings with the Town Council, it was determined that an incremental approach to the solving the intersection issues would be pursued. Other issues identified included difficulty for both vehic7:30 ales and pedestrians accessing Main Street from N. 31st Street. Public input suggested that high speeds contribute to the intersection issues, and that a means to lower the speeds may be a low impact way to mitigate intersection issues. The first step in this incremental approach was to extend the 25 MPH speed zone to the west and to install pole mounted display signs (PMDS) to warn motorists of the speed limit and their speed. The PMSD’s were installed in February 2022. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the PMSD’s in lowering the speeds, new data was collected.
The attached presentation by Kimley-Horn provides additional background information and shows the results of the new data collected. After the presentation by Kimley-Horn, Staff asks that the Town Council discuss the concepts and provide direction for the next phase of the project. The concepts for intersection improvements at the 32nd and Main Street Intersection were presented to the public and the Town Council at several different meetings, as well as through public surveys. Although Concept 2 (Traffic Signal, crosswalks) and Concept 3 (Mini-Roundabout) had the higher public support based the result of online surveys, the impact to the surrounding property owners is high. Concepts 1A, 1B and 1C could be implemented in a phased approach, but would not provide a pedestrian crossing/access to those residents of N. 31st Street. Concept 4 proposes to narrow Main Street at the intersection, which would serve as a traffic calming measure to slow traffic, would include a crosswalk across Main Street (but crossing only two lanes of traffic), and would include a short section of sidewalk on the north side of Main Street. Staff therefore recommends proceeding with the development of Concept 4 – Traffic Calming.