ETM contracted with the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) in partnership with St. Johns County to identify and prioritize the construction of missing sidewalk gaps on the County’s collector roadways. St. Johns County needed a defensible and flexible methodology to rank the construction of sidewalk gaps.
ETM identified the gaps on the County’s collector roadway network and then conducted a three-step process to evaluate and prioritize the relative need. The first step was to develop evaluation criteria and a scoring system that considered potential pedestrian demand, access to major destinations, system connectivity, safety, mobility, and equity. The application of objective evaluation criteria was intended to identify the sidewalk gaps that, if constructed, would provide the highest benefit to sidewalk commuters.
An ArcGIS analysis was then utilized to apply the evaluation criteria and determine a score for each sidewalk gap. An online survey provided insight into community preferences and sidewalk needs. The survey results supported the use of the evaluation criteria and were generally consistent with the sidewalk gap rankings.
The second step involved field reviews to evaluate the constructability and relative cost of the highest-ranked sidewalk gaps. To provide the County with additional flexibility and ease in visualizing the sidewalk gap data and analysis, ETM developed a web application. The web application is a dynamic, interactive mapping tool to help visualize the sidewalk gap data and analysis in the context of other existing conditions.
The third step involved refinement of the list and ongoing updates to the sidewalk gap data and analysis by a Steering Committee of County staff with various areas of expertise in the planning, design, funding, and sidewalk construction.