To: PUBLIC WORKS AND SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION
From: DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
TITLE
title
DISCUSSION OF TRAFFIC SAFETY MEASURES AT THE GRANT AVENUE & BLOSSOM LANE INTERSECTION
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City received a number of traffic safety complaints regarding the intersection of Grant Avenue and Blossom Lane. Residents expressed concerns regarding excessive speeds, crosswalk safety, and general traffic safety along Grant. Staff collected traffic and collision data, performed site visits of the intersection, and analyzed potential solutions. At this time, City staff is presenting a potential solution by prohibiting through and left-turning movements from either direction of Blossom onto Grant. Only right-turns would be permitted from Blossom onto Grant. Other concepts that may be infeasible or require further study/funding are also discussed. Noticing was provided to the residents living within approximately 300 feet of the intersection of Grant and Blossom (Attachment 1).
BACKGROUND
Intersections along Grant Avenue between Aviation Boulevard and Inglewood Avenue are generally similar to each other and evenly spaced from each other. Of the 10 intersections on Grant between Aviation and Inglewood, six are signalized and four are unsignalized. This agenda item pertains to the intersection of Grant and Blossom, which is unsignalized. Grant, which is wider, busier, and designated as a collector street, does not stop at this intersection. In comparison, Blossom is a designated local street and is stop-controlled at this intersection. This is typical practice as larger street traffic should not unnecessarily stop for smaller street traffic. At this intersection, left-turn pockets are provided for Grant approaches, curb extensions were recently constructed to improve safety, and intersection red curb is provided for visibility. The speed limit of Blossom is the residential prima facie 25 mph limit, while Grant’s speed limit is 35 mph. The 85th percentile speeds along this section of Grant are generally 40 mph, which suggests excessive speeding. As a separate project, the City is narrowing vehicular lanes on Grant to current urban best practice (10 feet) and adding a buffer (3 feet) to the bicycle lanes when individual blocks on Grant are resurfaced to reduce excessive speeding and improve safety for all roadway users. Area residents expressed concerns regarding excessive speeds and crosswalk safety. The City expects that lane narrowing can somewhat address excessive speeds.
DISCUSSION
After receiving traffic safety complaints from area residents regarding this intersection, engineers from the City collected traffic and collision data, performed sight distance observations, and analyzed potential solutions. Vehicular turning movement counts were collected for the Blossom approaches during one hour in the AM peak period and one hour during the PM peak period. Counts were collected in October 2025 when school was in session, shown below where AM is followed by PM in parentheses:
• Northbound Blossom: 21(14) Left, 25(10) Through, 48(48) Right
• Southbound Blossom: 8(6) Left, 22(21) Through, 16(23) Right
As shown, about 42-54% of Blossom vehicular approach traffic performs left or through movements during a typical peak hour, which are more complex to perform than right-turns. Right turns are by far the most executed single movement.
Engineers from the City performed sight distance analyses and found that adequate red curb exists to provide adequate visibility for performing turning movements from Blossom. A collision analysis was also performed and detailed statistics for an eight-year period (2016-2024) can be found in Attachment 2. In a recent five-year period (2020-2024), nine crashes occurred at Grant/Blossom. Four were injury collisions while five resulted in property damage only. Four of the crashes were right angle crashes, which typically involve one party approaching from Grant and the other party approaching from Blossom.
Potential Countermeasure(s):
Right-Turn Only From Blossom
Prohibiting through and left-turns from Blossom to Grant would remove the most difficult turning movements at this intersection. Drivers on Blossom do not have the right-of-way and must calculate gaps on Grant to proceed safely, which includes looking for pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles. Drivers proceeding straight or turning left must navigate both directions of Grant, a comparatively higher level of complexity. Staff proposes a relatively easy-to-implement countermeasure by adding signage that prohibits the left and through movements from Blossom in both directions. Prohibiting these turns would reduce the number of conflict points within the intersection, but would force drivers to reroute and potentially increase traffic on other streets to a minor extent. This countermeasure could address angle crashes, as drivers turning from Blossom would only need to focus on one direction of traffic to turn right. This solution would be easy to implement via signage, although it would be reliant on regular police enforcement. Physical impediments to block those turns would not be feasible without also prohibiting one or both left-turns from Grant and are not recommended at this time. If the “right turn only” signage is recommended by the PWSC, this countermeasure would require City Council approval. The cost to install right-turn only signs and associated roadway paint is approximately $1,500, available in the City’s Traffic Calming account.
Striped Crosswalk With RRFB Across Grant
Legal crosswalks exist at Grant and Blossom, however only crosswalks crossing Blossom, the shorter crossing, are marked. While unmarked, a legal crosswalk still exists to cross Grant. Curb extensions are present to provide enhanced visibility and shorten the crossing distance. Another feasible countermeasure would be to stripe a crosswalk across Grant when Grant is resurfaced in this area and add a rectangular rapid flashing beacon (RRFB). The proposed location would be the east leg of the intersection where ramps and curb extensions are available. While this striped crosswalk would remain uncontrolled and require pedestrians and drivers to exercise vigilance, RRFBs have been proven to improve crosswalk yielding compliance significantly. Signalized crosswalks are available at Green Lane to the west and Rindge Lane to the east, both 640 feet away. Pedestrians who feel uncomfortable with current crossing conditions at Blossom may feel more comfortable if a striped crosswalk and pedestrian-activated flashing lights are installed, which may improve safety and discourage crossing outside of intersections. However, if the desire is to focus Birney School-related pedestrian crossings to the signalized crosswalk at Green Lane where a crossing guard is present during school commute hours, the proposed countermeasure here may not be consistent with that principle. In addition, the City does not have pedestrian crossing counts at this location. It is unclear whether resources should be spent at this location if demand is low. However, if enhancements are installed, pedestrian crossings would increase. Nonetheless, the proposed countermeasure features would be consistent with FHWA guidance on crosswalks at intersections like Grant and Blossom. The graphic below shows an example of an RRFB. If recommended by the PWSC, further consultation with the District 4 Councilmember would be required before incorporating these features and associated costs into design when this portion of Grant is resurfaced. Striping this crosswalk during Grant resurfacing would be of nominal cost, while adding an RRFB and associated crosswalk signs would cost approximately $15,000. This money may be available in the City’s Traffic Calming account.
Source: City of Lincoln, NE
Countermeasures Deemed Infeasible or Requiring Further Study:
Traffic Signal
Traffic signals generally require a full traffic study and analysis to ensure the intersection would meet traffic signal warrants in the CAMUTCD. It is not likely that a traffic signal would meet installation warrants at Grant/Blossom, and the City does not have the funds to install nor maintain additional traffic signals within its jurisdiction.
Median Island With Crosswalk and RRFB
City staff also investigated the feasibility to add a physical pedestrian refuge median island within the two-way left-turn lane on Grant to increase crosswalk safety, similar to the recently installed median at Beryl/Guadalupe. This would be paired with the striped crosswalk across Grant and the aforementioned RRFB. The refuge island would help pedestrians cross one direction at a time and increase crosswalk signage visibility for drivers. However, it would remove the left-turn lane from westbound Grant to southbound Blossom. While the turn could still be performed, staff determined that due to higher traffic volumes on Grant and the narrow footprint of the intersection, removing the center turn lane could cause more issues compared to past installations. Staff determined that this location would be only a marginal candidate for a refuge island at this time.
All-Way Stop
As mentioned before, traffic volumes on Grant are significantly higher than those approaching from Blossom. Grant is a much wider street and designated as a Collector, while Blossom is a narrower local street. It would not be appropriate to force all traffic at all times on Grant to stop for what would be infrequent cross-traffic from Blossom. An all-way stop here would not be consistent with Federal and State guidance.
Staff is seeking public and Commission input on whether any (or none) of the proposed countermeasures should be installed. Restricting turns would require City Council approval, while installing a striped crosswalk with an RRFB would require further consultation with the District 4 Councilmember and a commitment of funding to include in an upcoming striping project.
COORDINATION
Coordination of this report took place within the Public Works Department.
ATTACHMENTS
• Public Noticing Area
• Collision Statistics