Answer Man: Will pedestrians be safe with oncoming traffic on the new Ecusta Trail?
HENDERSONVILLE - Today's questions are in reference to pedestrian safety along the Ecusta Trail. Got a question for Answer Man or Answer Woman? Email Asheville Citizen Times/Hendersonville Times-News Executive Editor Karen Chávez at KChavez@citizentimes.com and your question could appear in an upcoming column.
Work has already begun on the trail with the removal of steel rails and crossties, and many people are anxious to see what the finished product will look like. This reader sent an email to the Times-News asking about pedestrian safety with oncoming vehicles at roadway intersections.
Question: When the Ecusta Trail crosses oncoming traffic, what will those intersections look like? Will there be stop signs for pedestrians or cars, and who will have the right of way? Are any pedestrian bridges planned at these intersections?
Answer: The short answer is no bridges are planned at road intersections, but there will be many different safety measures in place.
For some background, the Ecusta Trail is being constructed along an abandoned railroad in between Henderson County and Transylvania County, and it will eventually be a 19.4-mile walking/biking trail connecting Hendersonville to Brevard.
The 11.1-mile Henderson County section is now being built. The first three phases total 5.8 miles and will be constructed from Kanuga Road to Horse Shoe. The 8.3-mile Transylvania County section begins near the Oskar Blues Brewery in Brevard. The total estimated cost for the trail is $31.1 million or about $1.5 million per mile. The Henderson County section is estimated to cost $18.3 million and the Transylvania County portion $12.8 million, according to Friends of the Ecusta Trail.
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"All of the trail/roadway intersections on the Ecusta Trail will be compliant with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices published by the Federal Highway Administration and adopted by most, if not all jurisdictions in the United States," said Henderson County Engineer Marcus Jones, whose team is in control of the project on the Hendersonville side.
The safety measures vary, depending on the volume and speed of traffic at the intersections, according to the Friends of Ecusta Trail website. There will be these three main pedestrian crossing safety measures along the trail:
For busy roads like the Brevard Road/U.S. 64 intersection and Kanuga Road, a new traffic signal was determined to be the best option for trail users to cross the roadway based on traffic conditions and the presence of nearby intersections.
For the trail crossing at Fifth Avenue West in Laurel Park, it was determined to need flashing warning devices that are activated by the presence of approaching trail users.
At other crossings, where there are lower traffic volumes and speeds, such as South Whitted Street, those will be treated with high-visibility crosswalk markings and warning signs.
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But who will have the right of way? Jones said it also varies.
"The traffic measures at each intersection depend on the roadway and vehicle traffic volume as well as the topography," Jones said. "Some intersections with low roadway traffic will give the trail users the right of way, but most will give it to the vehicles. The traffic measures vary from striping and signage to automated traffic signals like the crossing of U.S. 64 in Horse Shoe."
As far as when the trail will be complete and open to the public, Jones told the Times-News on Jan. 12 that the Hendersonville to Horse Shoe portion is contracted to be completed in December.
"The remainder of Henderson and all of Transylvania will likely go to construction under the same contract at the same time. We are in the beginning phase of design, and scheduling is not finalized at this time," he said.
"However, the Hendersonville to Horse Shoe section took two years to design and permit will take another year for construction. I would estimate the final phase will take longer with double the miles to construct. We should publish the schedule over the next couple of months."
Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Ecusta Trail Brevard pedestrian safety and oncoming traffic
