A transportation and engineering consulting firm is expected to start a study in the City of Williamsport on how to improve safety for motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists alike.

City Council recently approved a resolution authorizing a professional services agreement between the city and Kittelson Associates, a transportation and engineering consulting firm that will team up with Michael Baker Inc. on the project.

Valerie Fessler, executive director of the city Department of Community and Economic Development, who presented the proposal on behalf of Scott Williams, city planner and department deputy director, noted how the city was awarded a federal grant through the Safe Streets for All Program of $356,458.

Williams spearheaded a competitive bid selection process with Bill Scott, city engineer and Mayor Derek Slaughter, she said, and the city received five proposals from what city officials said were “reputable engineering firms.”

Kittelson has significant experience in this type of project and this type of project that is being paid for with this type of funding, Fessler said. They appreciate the need for compliance and other necessary requirements, she added. “Very excited to get this planning process started,” she said.

A councilwoman weighs in

“I’ve been desperately hoping we’d be doing something like this for a long time and I am extremely excited to see it underway,” Councilwoman Liz Miele said, adding her appreciation to Fessler, Williams and Austin Daily, the city housing programs manager.

What is the kind of timeline for this planning process, Miele asked, getting an answer of six to eight months from Bill Scott, city engineer.

“It is a very lengthy study because it is a really big award,” Fessler said. “They are actually able to do a really comprehensive study.”

During the interview process, the consultants seeking the job said there were three specific intersections that they would like to create some concepts for including Market, Hepburn and Rural Avenues at infamous “confusion corner;” Maynard Street, as it gets extremely busy with the added businesses, Williamsport Lumberyards, and traffic in and around Pennsylvania College of Technology, as well as other city locations, Scott said. This planning process also will include bicycle and pedestrian aspects, he said.

Miele said she would assume this planning process will give the city increased eligibility for grant funding to ameliorate some of these situations.

“Yes it absolutely will,” Fessler said, adding the other issue the department has heard about is not enough parking downtown.

“But we think that the reality is if someone drives by and they see there is not a spot on the block that they want to go to that business, they are sometimes not willing to go too much further,” she said.

Toward that end, one of the things Kittelson has offered to do was to make the downtown feel more walkable and approachable as part of their study so that people felt like they did not have to park immediately in front of the business they were trying to go to.

As part of that evaluation, Miele asked: “Could we make it so it is something that does not cost millions of dollars and have to be maintained on a 10-year basis?”

That is one of the number one things that the city department has been doing by bringing projects in front of the council that are feasible, Fessler added.

“We don’t want to bring projects that are not implementable,” she said.