Revitalization Committee nears consensus on downtown Bridgeport street design

BRIDGEPORT – The future design of the city’s downtown Main Street takes on more definition with every meeting of the Bridgeport Revitalization Committee.

At the monthly meeting last Thursday, June 6, Superintendent of Public Works Stuart Dezellem shared design options from the city engineers along with examples from surrounding cities.

“Gray & Osborne did this design,” explained Dezellem of one concept. “They show angle parking on one side, parallel on the other.”

Dezellem displayed some modifications he made on overhead photos of Bridgeport’s Main Street which is also state route 173. 

One version showed 16-foot sidewalks, twice the width of the current city sidewalks but Dezellem advised that 16 feet is both cost prohibitive and wider than the downtown needs.

Another concept showed 12-foot sidewalks, four-feet wider than currently but closer to the happy medium for every interest. The design also features crosswalks and bump-outs on the street corners.

“You still have room for a nine-foot parking lane, a 12-foot travel lane with a couple of feet left over,” Dezellem said. “That would also leave room for plowing snow.”

Committee Chair Leslie Robb participated in a recent survey of downtown businesses and reminded the committee that wider sidewalks topped the wish list for business owners.

Angle parking on designated blocks of Main Street was another feature discussed. Dezellem said angle parking would slow traffic speed.

“The road perception is that its narrowed,” said Dezellem. “It doesn’t narrow because it’s still 12 feet, but the perception is that it narrows because the vehicles are there,”

Dezellem reminded the committee that because the main street is a state highway the Department of Transportation preferences for parking configurations need to be taken into consideration.

“The DOT likes continuity,” Dezellem said.

“One thing to keep in mind for additional parking is all the side streets, 11, 12, and 13.” said committee member and councilman Mike Bjornstad. “There is tons of parking, and those streets are in close proximity.”

“We could put angle parking there because drivers can back out onto city streets and not the state highway,” added committee member Ryan Allstot.

Grants and funding are always a consideration for street renovations and city planner Kurt Danison is working on those options.

Dezellem said Danison is consulting with the Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) and the Chelan Douglas Transportation Council to take maximum advantage of the different funding cycles of the two agencies.

As the committee nears consensus on the final combination of sidewalk width, new street lighting, crosswalks, buffers, and additional amenities, its sense of excitement grows over the change in appearance the upgrades will bring to the downtown core.

Mike Maltais: 360-333-8483 or michael@ward.media