Project Overview:
Rohnert Park was historically designed with automobiles as the primary mode of transportation. Although the City is functional for moving vehicles, the established block and street pattern does not encourage walking or bicycling. Major streets, including Southwest Boulevard, have narrow sidewalks that are located immediately adjacent to the street and generally do not provide adequate room for two people to walk side-by-side. Vehicle lanes and shoulders are relatively wide, which encourages high vehicle speeds.
The City of Rohnert Park is currently developing design concepts to improve the segment of Southwest Boulevard between Commerce Boulevard and Adrian Drive. The project’s goal is to create a “Complete Street” that will transition a formerly auto-centric road into a corridor that provides a safer and more enjoyable travel experience for all modes of transportation, including bicyclists, pedestrians, and motorists. The City is currently in construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Southwest Boulevard and Commerce Boulevard. The Southwest Boulevard Complete Streets project will tie into the roundabout and extend east to approximately 300 feet east of the Adrian Drive intersection. This section of Southwest Boulevard is an important travel corridor for adjacent neighborhoods, neighborhood-serving retail destinations, parks and schools.
Project Elements to Consider:
- Enhancing bike lanes with visual barriers (striping) or physical barriers (curbed landscape strips) to separate cyclists and automobiles,
- Adding a sidewalk on the north side of the road from No Name Drive to Adrian Drive and widening existing sidewalks,
- Installing pedestrian crossings with better visual cues such as pavement markings and signals with shortened crossing distances
- Enhancing landscaping throughout the project
- Improving lighting
Project Map:
Background:
In 2007, the City of Rohnert Park created a Community Immersion Program that included various community engagement events designed to gain an understanding of key issues along three specific corridors (Southwest Boulevard, Commerce Boulevard and State Farm Drive). The goal was to develop a community-based vision for their future. Events included walking tours, workshops, meeting with civic leaders, stakeholder interviews and a design charrette. Based on input received from this program, the City prepared concept plans that described the vision for improving the corridors and their surroundings.
The Latest Updates:
The City is now developing the 30% design for the Southwest Boulevard Complete Streets Project. Currently the design includes:
- Converting the two lanes in each direction to a single lane in each direction
- A center median with turn pockets
- Protected bike lanes and new sidewalks on both sides
- Low impact development (LID) features on either side to clean and control runoff
- A roundabout at the intersection of Adrian Drive and Southwest Boulevard
Stay tuned for more updates as this project progresses.
Stay Informed:
Sign up for our email list to receive information on upcoming project alerts and community events: Traffic Updates & Road Closures (includes updates about Southwest Blvd Complete Streets Project)