The Fayetteville City Council has agreed to take a look at a request by Pinewood Forrest developers to authorize city staff to explore the idea of substituting a roundabout in lieu of installing a pedestrian tunnel in the area.
City staff will research the data and confer with Fayette County officials to determine if the 2013 intergovernmental agreement (IGA) requiring a tunnel should be modified.
Reporting on the request at the June 18 council meeting, Community Development Director Brian Wismer told council members that it was in August 2013 that one of the issues pertaining to the 1,200-acre West Fayetteville area addressed the placement of a multi-use path tunnel that would serve to connect the Pinewood Studio site to adjacent development, either on Sandy Creek Road or Veterans Parkway.
When the IGA was adopted, much of the future development was at the conceptual level, so the exact placement of the tunnel was to be determined mutually by the city and county based on future needs.
Since that time the Pinewood Forrest residential, office and retail development has come into play, with the first phase set to begin later this summer.
Also in play are the Development of Regional Impact (DRI) recommendations soon to be received from the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) and the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA). The DRI area covers the area from Pinewood Atlanta Studios and the Pinewood Production Centre south to Pinewood Forrest and to the area near South Sandy Creek Road.
Wismer asked that the council authorize staff to confirm the findings of the roundabout versus tunnel proposal, the costs involved and acquire pedestrian safety data on a multi-use at-grade crossing along the exterior of the roundabout based on projected traffic counts.
“If the data is supportive, the city will then need to work with county representatives to gain their mutual support in modifying the existing IGA for this purpose,” Wismer said, adding that the modification would have to be presented and adopted by the city and county.
Wismer said the developer recently presented a modified concept plan that would include a roundabout on Veterans Parkway, located at the main entrance of the Pinewood Forrest residential, office and retail development and the secondary studio entrance situated directly across the parkway. The roundabout is being proposed in lieu of the tunnel and would provide for continuous traffic flow and eliminate the future need for a signalized intersection, according to developers.
Speaking on the issue was Pinewood Forrest architect Bill Foley, who said roundabouts serve as traffic-calming measures and are recommended by the Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) and GRTA. Foley said GRTA is opposed to tunnels due to drainage and safety issues.
Noting the need for further study, Foley asked that the city and county consider the issues and modify the IGA to permit the roundabout.
The roundabout would reduce the speed along that portion of Veterans Parkway and provide for at-grade crossings along the exterior of the roundabouts, Foley said.
Foley provided a presentation outlining data on roundabouts, including safety, navigation and cost issues. Citing DOT data, Foley said vehicle crashes are reduced by 34 percent with roundabouts. Vehicle speeds are also decreased due to the geometric design of a roundabout, he added.
Aside from accommodating vehicular traffic, the proposed roundabout would include a divided two-way approach in each direction, essentially forming crosswalk with a median or a “safe zone” that would provide for pedestrian, bicycle and golf cart crossings. The safe zone would have to be 20 feet in length to accommodate two golf carts, Foley added.
The preliminary estimated cost of a pedestrian tunnel totals $1.47 million while a roundabout was estimated at $680,000.
Foley also noted that the DRI recommendations will include the eventual widening of Veterans Parkway south of Sandy Creek Road to a four-lane roadway.
