What on Earth are Broadway Popups, you ask? They’re stuff like temporary bike lanes and bulb-outs that Caltrans is gonna lay down on Broadway soon in order to test how they work, and whether or not to make them permanent. 

Like a restaurant pop-up, but for transportation infrastructure! Descriptions below, but here’s a press release from Caltrans about the public meeting they’ll be having next week.

Press release from Caltrans:

Caltrans District 1 will host a virtual public meeting for the Broadway Pop-Up Demonstrations on Tuesday, June 28 at 6 p.m. 

Staff will present information and answer questions related to the safety project located along the Broadway portion of U.S. 101 in Eureka. Coming in summer 2022, these test demonstrations will include the temporary installation of materials like vertical cone-like delineators and paint to analyze proposed improvements before possible construction.

The projects are intended to enhance safety, improve connections to local roads, improve transit access for pedestrians and cyclists, and make walking and bicycling a more enjoyable experience on Broadway. The Broadway Pop-Up Demonstrations will allow Caltrans to understand potential impacts of these improvements on all road users, receive feedback from the community, and make adjustments to project designs before permanent construction.

Information and a link to attend the virtual public meeting will be posted at: broadwaypopups.com.

Here’s a longer description of the pop-ups they’re proposing for Broadway, which is taken from broadwaypopups.com, which is itself actually just a convenient link to a Caltrans subsite:

Broadway Pop-Up Demonstrations will include the following features:

• A temporary Class IV bikeway between Hawthorne and Wabash. Class IV bikeways have a vertical element between the vehicle lane and the bike lane. This design is intended to make bicyclists more visible and comfortable and potentially reduce collisions.
• Temporary curb extensions between Papa & Barkley and 6th Street. Curb extensions—also known as bulbouts—are extensions of the sidewalk into the parking lane or shoulder at intersections. They help make pedestrians waiting to cross the street more visible to drivers. They also slow vehicles making turns. The demonstrations will not be adjusting any curbs or sidewalks. Delineators or posts will be placed where curbs may be constructed in the future. Curb extensions are not intended to prohibit any turning movements, and drivers will be able to make their regular turns at locations with temporary curb extensions during the demonstration period. Pedestrians should still stop at the curb and wait until it is safe to cross before stepping into the test curb extension area.
• The closing of acceleration and deceleration lanes at Papa & Barkley, Pierson’s, and the Bayshore Mall intersections. Acceleration lanes provide space for turning drivers to speed up before merging into traffic, and deceleration lanes provide space for drivers to slow down without slowing through-traffic before making turns. All of these locations are signalized, which stops cross traffic and allows drivers to make turns onto Broadway without needing to merge into traffic. In the proposed permanent project, the spaces used for acceleration and deceleration lanes will be reallocated to transit stops, bicycle facilities, and/or pedestrian use. The demonstration will temporarily use delineators to close or modify these acceleration and deceleration lanes.
• The relocation of the southbound bus stop from McCullens Avenue to the Bayshore Mall entrance in front of McDonald’s. This will give transit riders and bus operators an opportunity to provide feedback on how well the new stop location works for them. Signage will be placed to alert riders of the temporary location, and riders will still be able to board or arrive at McCullens if necessary.
• Closing the median or center turn lanes near Papa & Barkley, near Hilfiker, between Highland and Truesdale, near KFC, and near Broadway Cinema. The demonstrations will temporarily use delineators to close the two-way left-turn lane at locations of proposed pedestrian crossings to understand impacts to drivers including emergency responders. The demonstrations WILL NOT include any marked crosswalks, pedestrian refuges, or other pedestrian crossing enhancements.

These features are being evaluated in a temporary condition to inform project designs and implement the vision laid out in the Broadway Multimodal Corridor Plan.