North Main Street

In 2014, JPR was hired by the City of Elkhart to develop a Conceptual Master Plan for the North Main Street corridor extending from Jackson Street to Simonton Street, and Sycamore Street, from Main Street to Langle Park. The purpose of this project was to review the existing conditions and transform Main Street into a safer and more enjoyable environment by incorporating facilities for pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular traffic, along with indicating locations of site amenities such as planters, benches, and streetlights, and enhancing the overall aesthetics fitting within the existing commercial and residential land uses.

The project area is broken into two sections. The south section, from Jackson Street to Beardsley Avenue, received a more urban streetscape approach while the northern half, located within the Garden District, received a more residential treatment. The condition of the sidewalks throughout the project limits varied and needed to be reviewed for potential replacement or improvement. In addition, there were limited curb ramps that met current ADA standards. Street trees appeared to be overgrown and exceeded the width of the tree grate openings, and in some locations, were heaving the adjacent walkways.

JPR recognized the importance of unifying this corridor with improved physical connections and shared aesthetics, and providing pedestrian and bicycle safety was paramount to the overall design. To integrate pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular traffic, prototypical cross sections based on the Smart Street standards were developed.