4th and 5th Street Improvements Pilot Project
The City of Grand Junction and Downtown Grand Junction launched a pilot project in Aug. 2024 designed to reduce speeds on 4th and 5th Streets to increase safety for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. Throughout the early stages of the pilot, challenges became apparent from a layout perspective, and community feedback provided areas of improvement for modifications to the pilot.
2025 Modifications to the Pilot Project
City staff recommended and received direction from City Council to modify based on challenges with the current layout, feedback from the community, and data collected since the project’s implementation. The pilot will maintain the one-way, one-lane configuration with minor alterations, while several modifications are planned to improve the functionality and address concerns. Review the pilot project modifications in the presentation.
Timeline for modifications:
In the first quarter of 2025, modifications will include minimizing the number of vertical delineators and replacing them with more subtle, lower vertical, elements such as curb stops and rollover humps, to define bulb-outs. Parking spaces near intersections will also be adjusted to increase visibility and sight distances.
In the second quarter of 2025, alterations including restriping both corridors to adjust the bike lane adjacent to the travel lane which accommodates an increase in lane width for vehicular users, and pre-pilot parking configurations will be restored. These recommendations cannot occur until consistent warmer temperatures return.
After the second round of modifications is made, city staff will continue to monitor the pilot project for three to six months collecting data, receiving community feedback, and assessing the pilot’s progress to determine the next steps.
Planning of 4th and 5th Street Pilot Project
Planning done in the 1980s helped lay the foundation for designs developed for 2024 that were implemented. These were based on how the City grew and how downtown evolved for more pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists driving in for business, shopping, a cold beverage, or a meal.
The original study completed in 2022 had contemplated two lanes instead of one. In 2023, at the request of downtown merchants, the City's consultant evaluated a single-lane configuration which confirmed from a traffic volume standpoint, that a single lane on 4th Street and 5th Street would work in the context of the entire downtown street network. This single-lane design accommodated diagonal parking to remain.
The first iteration of the pilot project from Aug. 2024 to early 2025 proved layout challenges with increased community feedback. Early pilot modifications were completed to adjust the configurations.
Notable Changes Include (updated Sept.9):
City Leadership reviewing project plans for 5th Street
- The turning radius at various corners has been modified based on feedback from the original 4th Street design
- Additional diagonal parking will be provided along the west side of 5th Street south of Grand Ave.
- Bike lanes will be added and buffered by parallel parking on both 4th St. and 5th St.
- Angled parking will remain on the left side of both 4th St. and 5th St. in the downtown area
- Reduction to a one-lane, one-way configuration on both 4th St. and 5th St. between North Ave. and Ute Ave
- Belford Ave. is converted to a two-way street between 4th St. and 5th St.
- A westbound bike lane is added to the north side of Belford Ave. and parking is restricted to only the south side between 4th St. and 5th St.
- Travel lanes were adjusted from the original 11 ft. width to 18 ft. creating more room for car doors on either side and providing more room for drivers to navigate around parallel parking vehicles. The Fire Department initially reviewed the designs and since operating emergency vehicles has recommended the increase in travel lane
- Select parking spaces will be restriped to "no parking zone" to increase pedestrian ability to view oncoming traffic, two specifically in concern are along Colorado Ave.
- Three parking spaces near St. Regis will be restored in order to maintain self-waiting areas for riders
Living Streets Mural Project
As a part of the 4th and 5th Street Pilot Project, the Living Streets subcommittee, Community Development, and Parks and Recreation Departments created several Living Streets Mural along these corridors. The artist's work can be seen along the road sections in the downtown area.
I drove 4th after it was finished and all I saw was more difficult parking and traffic backed up further at grand ave. Not a good change.
I’ve had no problems driving down 4th the last couple of weeks and I finally got a chance to ride bike on the new bike lane today. I absolutely love it! I can’t wait for 5th to be completed so we can have good infrastructure both directions across town. Looking forward to being able to feel safe riding and modeling healthy lifestyle choices for my boys.
I’ve had no problems driving down 4th the last couple of weeks and I finally got a chance to ride bike on the new bike lane today. I absolutely love it! I can’t wait for 5th to be completed so we can have good infrastructure both directions across town. Looking forward to being able to feel safe riding and modeling healthy lifestyle choices for my boys.
Cannot see any of the comments on the page except those more than 10 days old
I don’t even want to go downtown now. It used to be simple and enjoyable to drive on 4th into town and go home on 5th. Now it is ugly, congested and unsafe. Businesses and Restaurants will lose revenue. This configuration takes away from the charm of historic downtown and has ruined our beautiful downtown corridor. I request it all be removed immediately
I don’t even want to go downtown now. It used to be simple and enjoyable to drive on 4th into town and go home on 5th. Now it is ugly, congested and unsafe. Businesses and Restaurants will lose revenue. This configuration takes away from the charm of historic downtown and has ruined our beautiful downtown corridor. I request it all be removed immediately
I don’t even want to go downtown now. It used to be simple and enjoyable to drive on 4th into town and go home on 5th. Now it is ugly, congested and unsafe. Businesses and Restaurants will lose revenue. This configuration takes away from the charm of historic downtown and has ruined our beautiful downtown corridor. I request it all be removed immediately
Yes. I use 4th to go down to Businesses and Restaurants and 5th to go home. These changes to one one with giant bike lanes and layout of parking with unattractive perminately mounted cones and parking spots between one way single lane and bike lanes are absolutely unsafe and ridiculous. Please please change back to two lanes each way and if you must, add a smaller bike lane on each side. Also, how many cars versus bikes use these routes. I believe the majority of transportation types should be given the most space on these roads. Also finding this feedback page needs to be more prominate on home page of city website.
Congratulations on replacing back-in parking, reducing First Street to one lane and the Sam's Club roundabout with the new layout in front of the post office which now can easily lay claim to the all-time stupidest waste of millions of dollars. If the goal was to make large parking spaces that are safe and easy to enter/exit in front of the post office now extremely unsafe to parallel park you exceeded beyond all expectations. If the goal was to promote biking around downtown, you failed miserably at that, too. I use my bicycle on our trail system. I will never, ever bike downtown to do my banking, run errands and use the post office, no matter how hard you try to force the issue. Take a deep breath, set aside your excuses and undo this horrible mess. Not all is lost; if you decide to run a poll on how you cleared the brush alongside the river I will gladly sing your praises. Otherwise, just understand that this project was a terrible, awful, no-good, over-thought, embarrassingly bad, maddening, frustrating, make-us-groan moment in Grand Junction city government decision making.
I would like to say thank you to everyone involved in planning and executing this project! 4th st looks great and I can’t wait until 5th is complete as well. I am looking forward to being able to safely ride my bike with my kids to more community events and parks in the downtown areas. I strongly believe that more people would like to ride their bikes around town but don’t because we don’t feel safe mixing with high speed traffic or riding in a gutter with only 4” of paint to protect us from a distracted driver.
Also I haven’t experienced any problems with driving on 4st sense the changes where implemented.
Thanks again!
I would like to say thank you to everyone involved in planning and executing this project! 4th st looks great and I can’t wait until 5th is complete as well. I am looking forward to being able to safely ride my bike with my kids to more community events and parks in the downtown areas. I strongly believe that more people would like to ride their bikes around town but don’t because we don’t feel safe mixing with high speed traffic or riding in a gutter with only 4” of paint to protect us from a distracted driver.
Also I haven’t experienced any problems with driving on 4st sense the changes where implemented.
Thanks again!
I would like to say thank you to everyone involved in planning and executing this project! 4th st looks great and I can’t wait until 5th is complete as well. I am looking forward to being able to safely ride my bike with my kids to more community events and parks in the downtown areas. I strongly believe that more people would like to ride their bikes around town but don’t because we don’t feel safe mixing with high speed traffic or riding in a gutter with only 4” of paint to protect us from a distracted driver.
Also I haven’t experienced any problems with driving on 4st sense the changes where implemented.
Thanks again!
I would like to say thank you to everyone involved in planning and executing this project! 4th st looks great and I can’t wait until 5th is complete as well. I am looking forward to being able to safely ride my bike with my kids to more community events and parks in the downtown areas. I strongly believe that more people would like to ride their bikes around town but don’t because we don’t feel safe mixing with high speed traffic or riding in a gutter with only 4” of paint to protect us from a distracted driver.
Thanks again!
I would like to say thank you to everyone involved in planning and executing this project! 4th st looks great and I can’t wait until 5th is complete as well. I am looking forward to being able to safely ride my bike with my kids to more community events and parks in the downtown areas. I strongly believe that more people would like to ride their bikes around town but don’t because we don’t feel safe mixing with high speed traffic or riding in a gutter with only 4” of paint to protect us from a distracted driver.
Thanks again!
I'll try again. This site keeps crashing, probably bc people are very upset about the changes the city planners make while not listening to the public, like they say they do. BAD idea on the 4th and 5th St. corridors. This change will not encourage bikes downtown as much as cause anger for motorists. Safety is not their concern, job security is.
The city. planners who are responding to these comments make me laugh. You keep saying you "engaged' the public to make comments while in the planning stages. In reality, you are paying lip service to us, knowing full well you will not listen to us and continue to disrupt the flow of traffic under the precepts that it is 'public safety'. I understand that if you don't continue to 'mess' with our streets (leave well enough alone), you will be out of a job. Job security seems to be your other goal, public be dam*^&.
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We've received your comment and are currently reviewing it to ensure it meets our site's policies. Thanks for your understanding and patience.
We've received your comment and are currently reviewing it to ensure it meets our site's policies. Thanks for your understanding and patience.
I work downtown , tried crossing 4th street on Colorado ave , I could see nothing ! Inched forward til I could finally see past all the cars and truck blocking the intersection, was almost into the road before I had a clear view of the road . Sat and watched people at that intersection for over an hour while having dinner , people on 4th street were even stopping cause they couldn’t see , long long waits to get across , I will definitely not being using that intersection again unless I have to . Big collision waiting to happen there , and taking away the parking on the right side of the street, by Fiesty pint having people having to cross the now crazy street .. wondering just who is all this craziness suppose to benefit??