The City of Newport is asking residents, business owners and visitors to help shape the future of Hastings Avenue as work moves forward on a Streetscape and Wayfinding Plan intended to make the corridor safer, better connected and more welcoming.
The planning effort will examine Hastings Avenue for opportunities to improve pedestrian connections, sidewalks and crossings, streetscape amenities, landscaping, lighting, signage and wayfinding.
As part of the process, the city has launched an interactive mapping tool allowing members of the public to identify specific locations where improvements may be needed, as well as existing features they believe are working well.
Feedback gathered through the map will help planners identify challenges along Hastings Avenue and determine what types of improvements residents would like to see in the future.
Rather than using only a conventional questionnaire, the online tool allows participants to place comments directly on a map of the Hastings Avenue corridor. Participants can select from five categories: Places I Like, Concerns, Wayfinding Opportunities, Other Thoughts or Ideas and Draw Ideas for Future Trail Connections.
The format allows residents to connect comments with specific intersections, blocks or other locations. Participants are encouraged to identify areas that feel unsafe or difficult to access, places that could benefit from improvements and ideas that could make Hastings Avenue a more enjoyable destination.
A map showing comments already submitted indicates public input throughout much of the corridor, from the northern part of the study area south toward the Interstate 494 interchange.
Some of the largest concentrations of markers appear along Hastings Avenue near the interstate and around locations where local streets and access points meet the main corridor. Comments are also scattered through residential and commercial portions of the study area.
Yellow markers representing Other Thoughts or Ideas, while red markers identify concerns, green markers designate places participants like and blue markers identify potential wayfinding opportunities.
Participants can also draw potential future trail connections directly onto the map. Several proposed connections are already shown, including routes in the northern and central portions of the study area and along the eastern side of the corridor.
The mapping approach gives planners information about both what residents want and where particular issues are concentrated. For example, participants interested in better pedestrian connections can identify the particular block, intersection or crossing where they believe an improvement is needed.
Pedestrian connectivity is one of the major issues identified for consideration. The planning process will examine opportunities for sidewalks and crossings while also considering landscaping, lighting and other streetscape amenities that could improve the appearance and experience of traveling along Hastings Avenue.
Wayfinding will be another component of the project. Wayfinding can include signs, markers and other features that help motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians find destinations and understand connections between different parts of the community.
Such improvements could also help establish a more recognizable identity for Hastings Avenue while directing travelers toward businesses, neighborhoods, trails and other community destinations.
The project is broader than transportation alone. Hastings Avenue serves as a travel corridor while also passing residential neighborhoods, businesses and other destinations. Streetscape planning can examine how those uses fit together and how the corridor functions for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists.
The current planning process does not mean every suggestion placed on the interactive map will become a future project. Instead, the public input will provide planners with information to consider as recommendations and priorities are developed.
Positive comments can also play a role. By allowing participants to identify places they like, planners can determine which existing features residents value and potentially incorporate similar elements elsewhere.
Clusters of concern markers, meanwhile, can highlight locations warranting additional study. Trail drawings and wayfinding suggestions can show where residents see opportunities for better connections.
The city is encouraging members of the public to use the interactive map and submit comments at specific locations along Hastings Avenue as the Streetscape and Wayfinding Plan moves forward.