Ivywild Neighborhood Traffic Study

Overview

The Traffic Engineering Division initiated a traffic study for the Ivywild neighborhood in November 2018 to take a comprehensive look at the area’s current traffic conditions and how they may be affected by proposed redevelopment projects occurring in and around the neighborhood as part of the Ivywild Neighborhood and South Nevada Avenue Area urban renewal plans. The study would make recommendations to improve traffic conditions in the Ivywild neighborhood.

Approved project recommendations resulting from this study will be prioritized and constructed in tandem with other projects and as funding becomes available. The more extensive modifications involved with the proposal for the I-25 ramps – Tejon Street – Nevada Avenue - Motor Way - Brookside Street area may be constructed using Pikes Peak Rural Transportation (PPRTA) funding, as this is listed as a Priority “A” project under PPRTA-2.

• View Final Ivywild Traffic Study Report
• I-25 Ramp Nevada Recommendation

Study Area

The study area boundaries are 8th Street on the west, I-25 on the north, Nevada Avenue on the east, and Cheyenne Road on the south.

Action Plan

The data collected during the first part of the study revealed these four categories of transportation concerns, which are described in more detail in the August 2019 status report:

• Traffic congestion on Tejon Street
• Insufficient on-street parking
• Overall traffic safety
• Accessibility for pedestrians and bicyclists

The study, which used traffic data and neighborhood input, culminated in the following recommendations to address the most important transportation needs of the Ivywild neighborhood. These recommendations will be presented to the public in a meeting February 10, 2020, and will be further evaluated to determine feasibility of implementation.

• Modifying the southbound Tejon/Nevada I-25 ramps and adjacent streets to encourage drivers destined to points on South Nevada or farther south to turn onto Nevada Avenue, rather than onto Tejon Street. Encouraging more traffic onto Nevada, a larger capacity roadway than Tejon Street, should improve traffic flow in the area and reduce congestion on Tejon Street.
• Improving traffic operations on Tejon Street south of Brookside Street. Recommendations include adding roundabouts at Brookside Street and Navajo Street, on-street parking, pedestrian refuges, and a single driving lane in each direction to facilitate pedestrian access between the residential neighborhood and the surrounding community.
• Investigating and making changes to the signal timing at some intersections.
• Addressing parking concerns by striping on-street spaces on Motor Way and Tejon Street, considering surface parking lots near I-25, and encouraging developers to build parking structures.
• Exploring the implementation of traffic calming treatments on streets that meet thresholds for improvements.
• Working with the Ivywild Improvement Society to request street lighting on Dorchester Drive and Cascade Avenue.
• Adding safer pedestrian crossings where warranted.
• Completing the sidewalk network at several key locations in the neighborhood.
• Updating the City’s Bicycle Map and Vision Network to reflect changed conditions in the neighborhood and encourage cycling within and through the neighborhood.