HomeMy WebLinkAbout101100-2026_09_24-Pedestrian Crossing
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2452 STATE ROUTE 9 SUITE 301 | MALTA, NY | 518-899-5243
To: Jamie Easton, PE
EP Land Services
From: Alanna Moran, PE, PTOE
Date: September 24, 2026
Re: Washington Street Pedestrian Crossing, Station Park in Saratoga Springs
The City of Saratoga Springs Planning Board requested that the project applicant review the potential for
construction of a mid-block crossing on Washington Street near the proposed Station Park project.
Washington Street is designated as NY Route 29 and is owned and maintained by the New York State
Department of Transportation (NYSDOT); therefore, changes to Washington Street require NYSDOT
approval and permitting for the construction of any work within the NYSDOT right-of-way. Conversation
with NYSDOT indicated that an engineering study must be completed for their review to determine
whether a mid-block crossing will be allowed. Based on Section 3C.02 Application of Crosswalk Markings
in the national Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)1, many criteria should be considered
in the engineering study including the total number of approach lanes, presence of a median, distance
from adjacent signalized intersections or other controlled crossings, projected pedestrian and bicyclist
volumes, pedestrian and bicyclist paths of travel, pedestrian ages and abilities, pedestrian and bicyclist
delays, location or frequency of public transit stops, average daily traffic volumes, speed limit or the 85 th
percentile speed, horizontal and vertical geometry of the crossing location, possible consolidation of
multiple crossing points, availability of street lighting, and other factors as appropriate.
Washington Street is classified as an urban principal arterial providing east-west travel through the City
of Saratoga Springs. Along the project frontage, Washington Street is a two-lane roadway with 12-foot
wide travel lanes and five-foot wide shoulders. Traffic volume data collected in August of 2026 showed
average daily traffic volumes of 9,300 vehicles per day on Washington Street along the project frontage.
The posted speed limit transitions from 30-mph east of the site to 45-mph west of the site near the
proposed site driveway. Travel speed data collected in August of 2026 shows that the 85 th percentile
travel speed is 39 mph in the eastbound direction and 35 mph in the westbound direction near the
sidewalk leading to the post office building. A sidewalk is provided along the north side of Washington
Street, east of the project site. The project proposes extending the sidewalk along the project frontage
west to the NY Route 29 bridge over the existing train tracks.
With completion and full occupancy of the proposed Station Park development and considering the
immediate adjacent area on the north side of Washington Street, there will be 548 residential units (158
at Intrada, 390 at Station Park), a 110-room hotel, and a post office. Residents, visitors, patrons, and
employees of the noted land uses may wish to walk to businesses on the south side of Washington
Street at West Hill Plaza including Taste of China, West Ave Pizza, Arrow Bank, and the Stewart’s Shop.
In the current conditions, to access these businesses pedestrians would walk east (between 750 feet
and 1,450 feet) to the adjacent Washington Street/West Avenue traffic signal where there are marked
crosswalks with pedestrian signals, pushbuttons, and countdown timers, cross Washington Street using
the pedestrian signal, and then walk west (between 200 and 750 feet) to access one of the businesses;
and vice versa on the return trip.
1 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways, 11 th Edition, US Department of
Transportation Federal Highway Administration, December 2023
pg. 2
Potential peak hour pedestrian trips for the combined Station Park and Intrada developments were
estimated based on the Institute of Transportation Engineers’ (ITE) Trip Generation Manual, 12th
Edition2, which is the industry standard for estimating trips for different land uses. ITE has limited data
for multimodal trips (walk, bicycle, transit) for the subject land uses. Based on a review of available data,
peak hour pedestrian trips were estimated for the total residential units (multifamily and single-family
attached) and hotel rooms using ITE Land Use Codes (LUC) 221 for Multifamily Housing (Mid-Rise). The
inclusion of the hotel rooms in the calculation assumed that people occupying the hotel wishing to
patronize area commercial establishments would be acting similar to residents of the multifamily and
single family attached units. This assumption provides a worst-case estimate of the potential non-
vehicular trips for residential occupants and offsets not accounting for post office traffic or the potential
use of the crossing by others not related to the Station Park and Intrada sites. The potential peak hour
trips are summarized in Table 1.
Table 1 Peak Hour Multimodal Trip Estimates
Land Use AM Peak Hour PM Peak Hour
Enter Exit Total Enter Exit Total
Walking Trips
Station Park (390 units, 110 rooms) 16 9 25 17 13 30
Intrada (158 units) 5 3 8 5 4 9
Total Pedestrian Trips 21 12 33 22 17 39
All Multimodal Trips
Station Park (390 units, 110 rooms) 19 11 30 18 17 35
Intrada (158 units) 6 3 9 6 5 11
Total Pedestrian Trips 25 14 39 24 22 46
Table 1 shows that the Station Park and Intrada developments have the potential to generate 33
pedestrian trips during the AM peak hour (21 entering and 12 exiting) and 39 pedestrian trips (22
entering and 17 exiting) during the PM peak hour. The table also shows that the site has the potential to
generate 39 multimodal trips (walk, bike, transit) during the AM peak hour (25 entering and 14 exiting)
and 46 multimodal trips during the PM peak hour (24 entering and 22 exiting). It is noted that not all the
potential pedestrian or multimodal trips would be expected to cross Washington Street. It is expected
that non-vehicular trips to and from Station Park and Intrada would include a mix of ages and abilities.
Existing and anticipated future conditions along Washington Street were reviewed to identify potential
locations for a mid-block crossing. Two locations were identified for further evaluation: at the sidewalk
leading to the post office and on the east side of Freeman Lane (Intrada driveway) as shown in the
following aerial image.
2 ITE Trip Generation Manual, 12th Edition, Institute of Transportation Engineers, Washington D.C., August 2025
pg. 3
Washington Street is flat and level at both locations with overhead street lighting. The Capital District
Transportation Authority (CDTA) no longer provides fixed service on Washington Street, but services the
area with FLEX service points on both sides of Washington Street at Freeman Lane. Sight distance
measurements were taken in the field from the perspective of a pedestrian waiting on the north or
south side of Washington Street and show that a pedestrian can see more than 1,000 feet to the east or
west at both locations. Conversely, a driver approaching either crossing location can see the waiting
pedestrian for 1,000 feet. The stopping sight distance guideline for the measured 85th percentile
operating speed is 300 feet. Vehicle queues on the eastbound Washington Street approach to West
Avenue that will occur during cycling of the traffic signal will limit the available sight lines between
pedestrians waiting or crossing the roadway from the south side of Washington Street and drivers
travelling westbound approaching the crossing locations. Review of capacity analyses for the
Washington Street/West Avenue intersection show that the 95 th percentile queue during the weekday
peak hours with construction of the proposed project is approximately 10 vehicles during the AM peak
hour (250 feet) and 8 vehicles during the PM peak hour (200 feet).
Based on a review of the above information, it is recommended that if a mid-block pedestrian crossing is
installed, it should be located on the east side of the Washington Street/Freemans Lane intersection
maximizing the distance between the crossing and the adjacent traffic signal. The crossing should be
installed using the guidelines provided in the New York State Pedestrian Safety Action Plan3 (NYS PSAP)
dated June 20, 2016 for an Enhanced Treatment at Uncontrolled Crossing Locations. The crossing should
include Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) on both sides of Washington Street to provide
greater conspicuity when sight distances are limited due to vehicle queues. To provide a logical terminus
on the south side of Washington Street, a pedestrian landing should be provided and a sidewalk
3 New York State Pedestrian Safety Action Plan, NYS Department of Transportation, NYS Governor’s Traffic Safety
Committee, NYS Department of Health, June 20, 2016
pg. 4
constructed from the landing to the primary West Hill Plaza driveway on Washington Street
approximately 160-feet south of Freeman Lane where pedestrians can then access the plaza as
illustrated in the following aerial image.
The following summary is noted:
A mid-block crossing across Washington Street located on the east side of Freeman Lane
maximizes the distance between the crossing and the adjacent traffic signal at West Avenue
Enhanced treatments at the crossing consistent with the NYS PSAP are recommended to provide
greater conspicuity when sight distances are limited due to vehicle queues at the adjacent traffic
signal
The mid-block crossing increases the probability that a pedestrian will use a marked crosswalk
when crossing Washington Street on the west side of the West Avenue intersection since it
provides a shorter travel path for pedestrians travelling to and from the northwest
The City of Saratoga Springs and the Capital Region Transportation Council (CRTC) are currently
sponsoring the West Avenue Complete Streets Study, which includes the study area. This study
is in progress and findings and recommendations have not yet been identified. Any multimodal
or pedestrian accommodation recommendations made as part of the Station Park project
should be coordinated with and align with the findings of the Complete Streets Study.
Flexibility in any multimodal or pedestrian mitigation identified as part of the Station Park
project should be considered in the project approvals to allow for alignment with the findings of
the Complete Streets Study