Economic Context

The economic aspect of this project is very crucial. We will discuss and break down the economic feasibility of specific aspects of the potential active transportation infrastructure we plan to implement; such as roundabouts, curb cuts, crosswalks, and traffic light improvements. The economic impact will not only apply to the public roadways, sidewalks, and crosswalks, but will also affect nearby businesses, restaurants, gas stations, and public housing along the LHD site. We will assess and describe how improvement within active transportation infrastructure will positively impact and boost business and sales for surrounding companies and amenities as well as improve the economy of the city of Easton as a whole. Boosting the economics of local businesses and city amenities will be essential in acquiring private donors and state/federal grants and other funding.

Figure 20: Option A Total Estimated Cost

Now that we have proposed these three solutions the question is how much will it cost? In order to estimate the potential total cost of construction on this roundabout, we looked for market comparables. Recently Bucks County constructed a similar roundabout (WFMZ-TV, 2023). That cost was $1.9 million. Pieces of our design currently not in this design seem to be raised crosswalks, (the cost of those typically ranges from ($7,000-$30,000 with an average price of around $8,500)(PennDOT, 2024) four of those would cost around $34,000 if we chose to use the average price. We estimate our design would cost somewhere around $2.1 million as they share a lot of similarities. 

An eight-foot-tall bronze statue like Larry Holmes’ cost about $250,000 (George, 2011) to build and so if we are looking to build something similar at the circle that is how much we would recommend we allocate. Lastly 

Figure 21: Example roundabout Bucks county (PennDOT, 2023)

Next, we looked into the estimated economic costs associated with our proposed solution B; the traffic lane reduction and implementation of a bike only lane. This incorporates both a “road diet” and a “car-free streets” approach. Road diet can be defined as restricting the width of streets by removing a lane(s) of traffic, this can be related to street narrowing, which follows the same idea of limiting the width of the roads in a bid to slow traffic down. A car free streets approach is the idea of designing streets to be orientated around pedestrians rather than drivers. For this cost estimation, we will be considering a half mile span of LHD that would be renovated. In an article about street infrastructure changes, it is mentioned that the cost of restricting a mile of four lane street to one lane in each direction plus bike lanes on each side would cost around $12,500 per mile (Bikesafe, 2014), depending on lane lines that need to be repainted. Considering we would be neglecting the bike lanes on the river side and we are only planning on restructuring a half mile stretch of road on the “city” or North side of LHD, our estimated cost to repaint would be on average $5,000. The more expensive aspect of this initiative would be the raised median or curb separating the traffic lane from the bike only lane. This can cost around $100,000 per mile, so in our case it would be around $50,000 (Sundstrom and Nabors, 2014). Next, we need to add the cost of the reflective lane dividers that will attach to the top of the curb. We are looking to place one reflective divider every three feet and considering we are retrofitting a half mile stretch, we would need 880 reflective posts which on average, cost around $90 each. This would add another $80,000. 

Figure 22: Solution B Total Estimated Cost

The bicyclist only lane would not cost any additional money as the lane already exists as a traffic lane and would simply be repurposed. The additional cost would be incurred when shifting the lanes of traffic on LHD between S. Sitgreave street up and Scott Park. All traffic lanes will be shifted one lane position to the right towards the Lehigh river, eliminating the current street side parking and turning that into the north/northwest travel direction traffic lane. This additional cost would be accounted for within the half-mile lane re striping. Some miscellaneous add-ons to our roadway design would be three elevated crosswalks which typically cost around $8,100 (FHA, 2018) each as well as a few trees, shrubs, flowers, benches, and bike racks that we would like to add alongside of our bicycle only lane which would add an extra $6,250. We are also adding yield signs at all intersections and curb cuts for the bicycle only lane. We would like to use diamond grade yield signs, which are $70.45 each if purchased in a quantity of 5, this adds an additional $353 (roadtrafficsigns, 2024). The last sunk cost that we will be adding is the cost for the ballasts installed at every curb cut. For this, we would be using poured concrete posts, which would cost around $50 each and we would need eight of them, which would add another $400. All in all, this proposed solution along a half-mile stretch of LHD would cost an estimate of $166,752.25. Now to add on the maintenance and upkeep costs, typical snow plows will not be able to remove the snow within the bicycle lanes as the concrete ballasts will bar them from entering. This means snow removal employees will have to utilize smaller-scale methods to remove the snow, which will in turn take more time and result in a higher cost for snow removal. The city of Easton already accounts for annual maintenance and upkeep of the roads, so we would not need to worry about adding in the additional cost. With the aid of federal and/or state grants, subsidies, and other forms of funding, this proposed solution would be easily economically feasible.

Ultimately, we looked into the estimated economic costs associated with our proposed solution C; a more conservative approach that accepts the built environment yet makes minor tweaks that could yield major benefits to active users of the space. To slow down traffic and make pedestrians feel safer, we feel some more traffic calming needs to be in place thus we are adding elevated crosswalks, minor sidewalk renovations, more signage, traffic light programming, a crossing guard, and permits for the special decorations of the crosswalks.

Figure 23: Solution C Total Estimated Cost 

In terms of cost, the elevated crosswalks including the necessary signage would cost about $8,100 (DOT, 2018) for a total of $24,300. Although there are supposed to be sidewalk renovations throughout LHD, that is the responsibility of the adjacent property owners and thus we cannot add that to our cost of renovation. We do insist that the city send citations to the respective buildings telling them that they need to fix their sidewalks per regulation. For the crosswalk decorations, we will put aside $1,000 for potential permit costs for closing the street: $250 per block per day, for three blocks is $750 (COP, 2024) as well as painting materials for the community members. In addition, about $12,000 for reprogramming the street lights (DOT). We also included the addition of a crossing guard to enhance safety for both pedestrians and drivers, with an estimated cost of $35,000(Indeed, 2024). The final costs will amount to $74,625.25.

In conclusion, the viability of the suggested fixes for improving LHD’s active transportation infrastructure shows promise for both lifesaving and economic stimulation. The advantages of increased safety, fewer fatalities, and a boost to local companies greatly exceed the significant financial expenses of putting these measures into place. All of the suggested fixes, including the more conservative traffic-calming techniques, the road diet and pedestrian lane reduction, and the more comprehensive roundabout layout, are financially feasible with the help of public funds, state and federal grants, and private donations. Furthermore, spending money on this infrastructure promises to improve the quality of life for locals, draw in new companies, and aid in the city’s overall economic development in addition to addressing the pressing problem of mortality caused by transportation. The potential for these improvements to bring about long-lasting beneficial change for Easton should ultimately take precedence over their economic and human value.

Next: Conclusion.