The City of Bloomington’s Planning and Transportation Department launched a corridor study of College Avenue and Walnut Street aiming to improve the two roads.
A corridor study is a planning project for work that will be completed between a road and the land around it. The study will focus on sections of both roads running from the State Route 45/46 Bypass to Allen Street. The Planning and Transportation Department will look at what is currently working for these areas and any ongoing challenges by using the community’s input, research and analysis.
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The City of Bloomington held a meeting on June 15 for residents to participate in one of the public meetings for the project and to produce ideas for the redesign of College Avenue and Walnut Street. The ideas were presented by Toole Design, the city’s consultant on the project. Some of the concepts for the redesign included adding more bike lanes, trees and benches as well as turning the roads into two-way streets, according to the presentation.
Cindy Zerger, Toole Design’s urban design director presented crash data for the two roads from 2018 to 2022 at the meeting. This data is being used to better understand potential improvements such as giving pedestrians a safe place to travel and adding protected bike paths along the roads.
The study is in the beginning phases of public input on the project. The initial planning for the project began in 2018, but the city decided that a corridor study for the area was needed first. According to the presentation, the next step of the project will be developing concept alternatives.
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Beth Rosenbarger, assistant director for planning and transportation for the City of Bloomington, said in a press release the city wants as much public input as possible. To provide input on the project, members of the community can fill out this form or sign up for emails about project updates and public meetings.
“We want to meet people out along the corridor along College and Walnut and talk about what's important to them, what's working for them and what's not working for them, and just experience the space together,” Rosenbarger said in the press release.
