Design team outlines three‑phase North Main Street corridor plan and public‑engagement program

The task force heard a kickoff for the North Main Street corridor design and an engagement plan from the design team led by Tool Design with Civic and WSP as subconsultants.

Rosie Joel (project lead, Tool Design) said the project will produce a long‑term concept for the corridor, a more detailed preliminary design for a priority one‑mile segment, and final designs for targeted safety improvements that can be implemented within current funding. She told the group the project is funded through Ryot and led by the City, with Ry serving as the city project manager.

Tim of Civic outlined an inclusive engagement strategy that begins with site assessments and stakeholder interviews, scales up to public meetings and road‑show presentations as conceptual alternatives are developed, and uses demonstration/pilot projects to test quick‑build treatments and gather real‑time feedback. “Bringing concepts to life, really gathering actionable input and demonstrating our responsiveness to that feedback” was cited as a central goal for combating engagement fatigue.

The consultants said the full process is expected to run roughly 18 months to produce shovel‑ready designs for targeted improvements and to support funding applications and environmental permitting (including potential NEPA coordination if federal funds are used). Staff emphasized that the current allocation of construction funding is insufficient for full corridor reconstruction; the team will therefore identify priority locations for short‑term safety gains while coordinating with the Metro Connector project.

Task force members asked about accelerating short‑term Road Safety Audit recommendations and about ensuring continuing task force membership after the current council term ends; the design team invited members to recommend additional stakeholders (including youth and business representatives) to include in initial outreach. The task force will remain a standing venue for updates during design and engagement phases.