HNTB Corporation	7450 West 130^th St	Telephone (913) 491-9333
Engineers  Architects  Planners	Suite 400	Facsimile   (913) 491-9337
	Overland Park, KS 66213	www.hntb.com
Date	To
7/14/2005	Chuck Soules, Public Works Director
PROJECT CORRESPONDENCE	From
	Kevin Wallace, Project Manager
	Subject
	23^rd Street Access Management Improvements (Iowa Street to Louisiana Street)

The purpose of this memo is to present the status of the design approach for the 23^rd Street Access Management Improvements, and particularly the results of the Step 4 one-on-one property meetings held recently. 

Earlier this year, HNTB presented the 12 step approach for this project to the City Commission.  The purpose of this project is to make access improvements through consolidation, removal, and/or relocation of existing entrances to businesses thru the project limits.  At this point in the project, the project team is at step 5 and are beginning step 6. 

Over the past month, HNTB and members of the City of Lawrence Public Works staff met with or visited over the phone with over 35 property owners along 23^rd Street from Iowa Street to Louisiana Street.  These property owners were selected based on the Step 2 corridor review in which several opportunities for access management improvements were identified.  The one-on-one meetings and conversations focused on the following topics:

· Project background, limits, and goals

· Existing conditions, site traffic circulation/turning movements, and safety concerns

· Ideas and opportunities for access and safety improvements

· Issues, concerns, input from the property owners

· Next steps in the process and project schedule

The response from the property owners from these meetings was generally very receptive to some of the ideas and opportunities discussed.  Some of the concerns and comments that were recorded from the meetings included:

· Maintaining existing parking capacity

· No formal cross access agreements in place

· Many customers utilize Iowa, Ousdahl, Naismith, Alabama, and Louisiana for left turns

· Drive thru business makes up a high percentage of fast food restaurant traffic

· Concerned with left-turn conflicts created by entrances across 23^rd Street not properly lined up

· Most would be willing to consider merging entrance with adjacent property owner if plan made sense

HNTB’s next steps will include developing the concept plans and cost estimates for improvements, then to meet with the team’s Access Management experts with Foth and Orrick L.L.P.  After that, the team will meet again with the property owner’s with whom we feel that an improvement can be made to the existing access.  We will present to each property owner the conceptual plan, and discuss if any modifications need to be made to the plan.   

The design team’s original project approach is listed below in the following steps:

· Step 1 – present project approach to the City Commission.

· Step 2 – Review the project corridor

· Step 3 – initial communications with business owners in project limits by letter.

· Step 4 – facilitate initial one-on-one meetings with owners.

· Step 5 – Report to Commission on comments / concerns from owner meetings.

· Step 6 – HNTB work phase to review / evaluate the owner comments and city commission                                                                                      comments and make adjustments to access improvement plan, as required.

· Step 7 – After conceptual plans for modifications have been made, conduct second round of business                                          owner meetings, as required.

· Step 8 – Formalize access management improvements based on steps 1-7.

· Step 9 – Final presentation of access management improvements to the City Commission.

· Step 10 – Begin preliminary plan production.

· Step 11 – Assist Public Works Staff / City of Lawrence with negotiation & appraisal process.

· Step 12 – Bidding and administration services.