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Fairfield Bikeway & Walkway Plan:
Transportation Alternatives for a Safe and Healthy Community

Executive Summary
Prepared for the City of Fairfield Iowa

Jeffrey Banks
Adam Galluzzo
Daniel Nelson
Jeffrey Wiggins
Justin Wyse

Graduate Program in Urban and Regional Planning
The University of Iowa

Executive Summary

Fairfield Bikeway & Walkway Plan responds to the vision expressed in Objective 2B (4) 2012 Community-Wide Strategic Plan, Moving Fairfield Forward:

To design a plan that connects Fairfield's neighborhoods, schools, parks, and recreational facilities through bicycle routes, trails, and walking paths, and that ties into the Jefferson County Trails system

The Bikeway & Walkway Plan recommends a system of routes designed to connect neighborhoods, schools, parks, recreational areas, and portions of the Jefferson County Trail system. The plan identifies funding sources for future improvements, recommends route designs, and suggests signs and themes appropriate to civic, commercial, cultural, and recreational locations.

             Methodology

Research investigated existing conditions in Fairfield, financing options, scholarly articles and plans from comparable cities, Fairfield's existing planning documents, and traffic and accident data from the Iowa Department of Transportation. Research findings were presented to the public at Advisory Committee meetings a Public Forum, through numerous media interviews, and on the plan's website. Fairfield residents participated at each stage of the process, providing invaluable input into existing conditions and route designation.

             Recommendations

The system of proposed routes is illustrated below.

• Shared-use roadways are recommended for a majority of the routes for reasons of efficiency, feasibility, connectivity, and accessibility.
• Restriping West Burlington Avenue - from 4 lanes to 3 lanes flanked with bike lanes - and adding sidewalks will serve the transportation needs of all residents and provide access to areas that are currently the most dangerous and difficult to reach.
• Shared-use sidewalks should be constructed along North B Street and South Main Street to improve access to recreational, cultural, historical and commercial sites.
• Maintenance and repair of the route system should be performed on a regular basis

             Funding Opportunities

The plan provides cost estimates for implementation. Several funding sources are available to help realize the goals of the plan including: Safe Routes to School, the Federal Surface Transportation Program, and the Transportation Enhancement Program. Additional funding sources such as Branching Out and Iowa's Living Roadways Projects Program may cover landscaping projects.

             Implementation

The realization of a bikeway and walkway system of routes is dependent upon the willingness and dedication of Fairfield citizens and elected officials. This plan recommends the creation of an implementation committee that will ultimately be responsible for following the recommendations put forth in this plan.

             Maps

Five black and white maps are provided with this executive summary. The first map displays the entire system of routes. The following four maps respectively show the west, north, south, and east routes of the system. Click on a map to enlarge it (very large, may take a while to load).

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