Bike lane could choke traffic near park

An existing four-lane segment of Northwest Ferris could become a three-lane road, while bicycle riders from west Lawton will be taking a different path into Elmer Thomas Park, under proposals to be considered today by the City Council.

The changes are prompted by security measures being established for all Lawton Public School campuses, including Lawton High School and Central Middle School on Fort Sill Boulevard. One of the solutions being proposed by city staff would create a dedicated bike lane on Northwest Ferris Avenue west of Fort Sill Boulevard, lessening that road to three lanes.

Today, bike riders can access Elmer Thomas Park by crossing Fort Sill Boulevard in its 700 block, under a 2013 agreement with the Lawton Board of Education that granted the City of Lawton public access easements across its property for sidewalk and bike routes. That area ties into the Elmer Thomas Park Connector, which starts in the park and crosses into west Lawton by going between the baseballs fields and Central Middle School (to the north) and Shoemaker Education Center (to the south). The route winds through the residential neighborhood west of Lawton High before coming back to Northwest Ferris Avenue at Northwest 21st Street, to continue west.

However, a plan by Lawton Public Schools to upgrade security at all school campuses by fencing them in means the school district must close that access. CDBL Inc. has submitted a request on behalf of Lawton Public Schools for fencing around Lawton High, Shoemaker Education Center and Central Middle School. The city will consider holding a public hearing Dec. 12 to close the existing public access easements to make that possible.

Losing that access gives city officials two options for its Elmer Thomas Park Connector:

• Continue to cross Fort Sill Boulevard at 753 Fort Sill Boulevard, but go north on an existing sidewalk past Central Middle School, then turn east on Cache Road to enter the park and connect to trails and roads near the old armory. Proposed by CDBL, this option would require 270 feet of new sidewalk and widening 190 feet of existing sidewalk. Estimated cost is $34,492.50.

• Cross Fort Sill Boulevard at Northwest Ferris Avenue and continuing along a sidewalk on the southern edge of Lawton High Property, then go north on an existing road between the high school’s eastern edge and McMahon Auditorium. Proposed by city staff, this option is estimated at $50,557.50.

The city’s option also means a substantial change to Northwest Ferris Avenue and its four lanes west of Fort Sill Boulevard. The proposal would mean additional sidewalks on the north side of Northwest Ferris Avenue to Northwest 21st Street (the Elmer Thomas Park Connector already exists west of that point). The project also would mean widening the existing sidewalks between Northwest 6th Street and Fort Sill Boulevard, and restriping Northwest Ferris to change it to a three-lane road for traditional vehicles — one eastbound, one westbound and one center turn lane — and a dedicated bike lane.

It’s not a new idea.

City officials weighed a “Walkable Lawton” proposal in 2015 where analysis showed the new configuration for Northwest Ferris could continue to carry the existing amount of traffic, while changing what is four travel lanes to two would decrease speeding vehicles and the traffic injury rate. City staff also said the restriping needed for the project could fit into a mill and overlay project already planned for multiple segments of Northwest Ferris Avenue as part of the city’s Ten Wins for Citizens initiative.