May 2023 Boyd Acres & Butler Market Key Routes Community Open House and Survey

This open house concluded May 22, 2023. Feel free to browse through the information and exhibits below.

Preparing an alternatives analysis was the first step in this project, which identified three preliminary design concepts and recommendations on construction timing, needs and costs for the roadway. Initially, the alternatives analysis also included Boyd Acres Road. However, the City re-evaluated Boyd Acres Road as a feasible key route, given project costs, key destinations for travelers, and the number of businesses along the route that would be affected. Instead, the focus of the project is now providing enhanced bike and pedestrian improvements to Butler Market Road, which provides connections to nearby parks, businesses, schools, and neighborhoods for thousands of commuters.

We are committed to listening to community members and identifying the options that meet the city’s long-term needs, and through an online Open House that took place from May 9 through May 22, 2023 nearly 400 people provided feedback on three design concepts for the Butler Market corridor. From the public feedback, the City chose a design that will provide separated bike lanes and wider sidewalks along the corridor. Combined with the Butler Market and Wells Acres Roads roundabout intersection improvement, this well-traveled roadway will receive much-needed improvements for safer travel.

Public Feedback Helped Guide the Project Design

A two-week online open house provided participants the opportunity to review and provide input on the potential design configurations for portions of the Butler Market and Boyd Acres Roads key routes. Additionally, participants were able to complete a survey and rank preferred design configuration alternatives and features.

Out of the 377 surveys completed, people preferred separated shared lanes, with wide sidewalks for the Butler Market corridor.  The key characteristics people would like to see include “Cyclist safety/ convenience/ comfort,” “Pedestrian safety/convenience/ comfort,” and “Safer and enhanced street crossings”, which scored almost equally, with “Connections to nearby parks and trails” close behind. The graphics below illustrates the general design concepts, with Alternative 2 being favored among the three.

Butler Market Road Key Route

The section of the Key Route being designed along Butler Market Road runs east-west from Brinson Boulevard in the northeast to Boyd Acres Road to the west. The posted speed limit is 35 MPH and the average daily traffic on Butler Market Road is approximately 13,000 vehicles per day. 

• There are signalized intersections at the beginning and end points of the route, an existing 3-leg roundabout at 8th Street and a proposed 4-leg roundabout at Wells Acres Road that is currently a 2-way stop-controlled intersection.
• There is a 6-ft sidewalk provided on either side of the roadway; however there are multiple gaps in the sidewalk, causing a discontinuous route for people who walk or have mobility limitations.
• There are 4-ft non-buffered bike lanes provided along the route, creating an environment for cycling that may not be considered safe or comfortable for some users.
• Butler Market Road is currently served by two transit routes – 5 and 6, and has multiple stops along the corridor. 

Three Design Configurations

1. Buffered bike lanes with wider sidewalks

2. Raised bike lanes and wider sidewalks

3. Separated cycle track, with two-way bike and pedestrian shared use- in some areas of the route, wider sidewalks may be included also.

Boyd Acres Road Key Route

The section of the Key Route being designed along Boyd Acres Road runs north from the intersection of Butler Market Road to the intersection of Empire Boulevard. Boyd Acres Road is a heavily used north-south roadway, with approximately 11,000 vehicles per day using the corridor.

• There is a 6-foot sidewalk on either side of the roadway; however, in multiple locations, there are gaps in the sidewalks, resulting in a streetscape that is not very easy to walk through, or negotiate in a wheelchair or other mobility-assist device.
• There are 4-foot non-buffered bike lanes along the corridor that are not conducive to feeling safe or comfortable while bicycling for some users. There are a number of businesses and industrial land uses along Boyd Acres, many with wide driveways that may cause conflicts with bikers, pedestrians and auto users.
• There is currently no transit route along Boyd Acres Road.  

Three Design Configurations

1. Buffered bike lanes with wider sidewalks ($$)

2. Separated bike lanes and wider sidewalks ($$$)

3. Separated cycle track, with two-way bike and pedestrian shared use – in some areas of the route, wider sidewalks may be included also. ($$$)