Sidewalks

A significant safety concern for pedestrians walking along Kendal Drive is the lack of sidewalks. Many residents walk along Kendal Drive, and with the addition of the new grass path that starts on the side of the road, the street is predicted to see more pedestrian traffic. Because of the lack of sidewalks, residents currently share the road with vehicles. Sidewalks will give pedestrians access to the grass walking path without compromising safety.

Our initial proposal included a sidewalk that stretches the entirety of Kendal Drive. We presented this idea to Dr. Pegg and the residents in our first focus group. Based on the feedback from the residents, we came to the consensus that this was not reasonable. This is mainly because the road leads to the adjacent neighborhood’s street which also lacks a sidewalk. A sidewalk leading to a street with the same danger that exists on Kendal Drive doesn’t solve much besides giving residents a short path to walk up and down. It would also require a total of over a thousand feet of sidewalk, which is too costly to be feasible in the near future. Residents pointed out in both the focus group and in our surveys that there was no sidewalk along the Springlot Drive, a popular walking road for residents that connects the new Sunrise Ridge cottages to the west side of the property. In order to safely connect these sides, we proposed that a sidewalk be installed along Springlot Drive and continue up Kendal Drive until it reaches the new grass path.

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Springlot Drive Sidewalk

There were many constraints to consider when deciding the location of the proposed sidewalk along Springlot Drive. The main section of the sidewalk along Springlot will be approximately 350ft long, 4ft wide, concrete, and directly adjacent to the north side of the road (see Figure 25). A width of 4 feet was agreed upon as the minimum space for two to walk side-by-side and is more cost-effective than 5-6ft (Virginia Asphalt Association). The sidewalk must be adjacent to the street because the slope becomes increasingly steep the farther it is from the street. Three lampposts are also present on this side, one of which has to be incorporated into the sidewalk, which has been done on a preexisting sidewalk (see Figure 24). The middle lamppost can be avoided, and this section of the sidewalk will end at the lamppost nearest Kendal Drive.

The lampposts and gradient were obstacles to work around, but we chose this side of the road over the south side due to a few important factors. There were three trees on this side that ranged from about 5.5-6.5ft from the road (see Figure 28). While this allowed for enough space for a 4ft sidewalk, in the long term, the roots would likely cause damage to the sidewalk causing them to be uneven and unsafe. This side of the street is also unlit and would need lighting to be installed for it to be safe to walk at night. The north side, conversely, already has lampposts. There is also a utility cover about 5.5ft from the road (see Figure 27). This raised a concern with drainage as this side of the road acts a drainage path to a drain by the intersection of Kendal and Springlot drive (See Figure 26). A sidewalk would essentially move this drainage path 4ft over to the edge of the sidewalk which could cause a flooding issue near the utility cover. Drainage less of concern on the north side of the street where the slope is consistent and leads to a drainage ditch.

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Kendal Drive Sidewalk

The remaining section of sidewalk will begin next to the end of the Springlot section, continue up Kendal Drive, and lead into the proposed raised crosswalk connecting the new grass path (see Figure 22&29). This sidewalk will be about 180ft long and 4-4.5ft depending on if railings are installed on the outer edge of the walkway (see Figure 29). A handrail is recommended on this section of sidewalk due to the steeper slope. There is just enough space to install a sidewalk on this side of the road with minimal grading before the gradient becomes too steep. Falling of the sidewalk here could result in injury, especially for members of the senior living community, so railing is strongly recommended to improve safety. An option to build a path without a railing is possible, but to maintain safety standards, the path would have to extend 6 ft instead of 4 ft. See this option at the end of this section.

The sidewalk must be installed on the east side of Kendal Drive because a sidewalk on the opposite side would impede on a resident’s property (see Figure 22). Initially, we planned to connect the Springlot and Kendal sections as one sidewalk by curving around the stop sign and lamppost (see Figure 30). However, after compaction testing with the penetrometer, a device that measures the compaction of soil via the pressure that a rod measures as it is pushed into the soil at a rate of 1 inch per second, we determined that the ground was too soft to support a sidewalk directly behind the stop sign (see below section Compaction Testing). There is a large corrugated drain pipe that runs about four feet beneath this section, so the ground is likely looser because it is newer soil. The other areas we tested showed a compaction zone, the point in the soil when pressure reaches 300 psi, starting at around 5.7 inches (see Figure 31).

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Compaction Testing

Soil compaction testing aims to establish the level of soil compaction required to support a building, road, or in this case, a sidewalk. This crucial phase in construction involves gathering compaction data on the area of interest to determine build feasibility. At an average depth of 5.7 inches from the top soil layer to the compact layer (able to withstand 300 psi), the tested areas along Kendal and Springlot Drives are promising locations for sidewalk construction.

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Drainage

In order to ensure that our proposed sidewalk and raised crosswalk do not create drainage issues, we captured the topography of the area using a drone with a LiDAR scanner. Based on the gradient of the land, proximity of the sidewalk to the road, and drainage catchment located at the bottom of the hill, we are confident that there is no increased risk of drainage issues with the addition of our proposal. See figure 33 which shows the steep grade off the east side of Kendal Drive and the North side of Springlot drive. Based on orientation of these contour lines and the rendering of figure 34, water running off the new sidewalk will run down the hill, away from the road and sidewalk, and into the drainage catchment.

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Sidewalk Cost Analysis

The following figures provide a breakdown of the costs to grade and install sidewalk. Figure 35 shows the cost break down to grade the area needed for the sidewalks along Kendal Drive and Springlot Drive. Figure 36 provides a breakdown of the cost to install a sidewalk along Kendal Drive, Springlot Drive, and connecting the Sunrise Ridge Cottages to the West side of Kendal via a small sidewalk.

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Cost Efficient Alternative: Decomposed Granite Path

Another viable option for the walk-way from the Springlot-Kendal intersection to the grass walking path is a decomposed granite path. While, a path limits accessibility of walk assistants like wheel chairs and some walkers compared to a sidewalk, the initial cost of a path would be more cost-effective. Furthermore, because the walkway along Kendal Drive only extends to the grass path, any pedestrian using the walkway to reach the grass path will be traversing on unpaved ground anyway. There lies the rational for choosing a more cost-effective decomposed granite path. In addition to lower costs, a decomposed granite path allows from more aesthetic options.

The downsides to a decomposed granite path are few but have significant applications in the future. For starters, loose composite paths require slightly more maintenance than concrete sidewalks, such as replenishing and compacting new granite as it wears down over time. Below is a cost analysis of the two options.

Both options require earth leveling. This is a mandatory step in the process, as a path of either material cannot be set on a sloped surface. Figure 40 below outlines the cost of leveling the 180 ft of earth between the intersection and the raised crosswalk.

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Aesthetic Alternative: 6-Foot-Wide Sidewalk without Railing

If a railing is too much of an aesthetic sacrifice, a 6 ft path with no railing is an option that maintains a factor of safety for pedestrians. The figures below show the cost break down for grading the area needed to install a 6ft sidewalk along Kendal Drive.

Sidewalks are slightly more accessible and require less maintenance, though it costs more than twice of what the decomposed granite path costs. These factors should be considered as well as the future expansion possibilities. Should there be plans in the future to extend a sidewalk from the Kendal-Springlot intersection to Enfield Road, spanning the entire length of Kendal Drive, the sidewalk will have already been built. In this scenario, the gravel path would have to be removed and replaced, so building a sidewalk now would be more cost-effective in the long run.

Based on the cost analysis and assumptions above, both options are viable. We recommend that Kendal leadership consider if they foresee installing a full-length Kendal Drive sidewalk in the next 10 years in their decision between these two options.