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Rendering of the redesigned South Main Street in front of the Flannery Apartments: a bus at a new shelter, a pedestrian crossing sign, street lights, and cars, cyclists and a wheelchair user along the corridor.

Complete-ing South Main St.

  • Applied Work (Design Connect)
  • Elmira, NY
  • Spring 2025

Sole designer on a 12-person team

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The E. Edward Flannery Apartments anchor South Main Street’s downtown corridor, within walking distance of grocery stores, pharmacies, and everyday retail. But despite this proximity, speeding cars and minimal pedestrian infrastructure make walking and biking dangerous, particularly for elderly and disabled Elmira residents.

Survey data confirmed the issue. 75% of Flannery residents who responded were over 65, and crossing safety was their primary concern. Residents and existing planning documents also emphasized the need for bike infrastructure to connect to the new Chemung River Greenway under construction across the Chemung River.

Working with the City of Elmira Planning Commission, our Design Connect team reimagined South Main as a complete street. An adjacent surface lot allowed us to remove on-street parking on one side for a protected two-way bike lane connecting directly to the Greenway. Mid-block crossings, daylighting, curb extensions, raised crosswalks, and a new bus stop shelter all help to transform South Main into a safe, multi-modal path for Elmira’s most vulnerable residents: a complete street.

Background

Contribution

My role within the 12 person project team was to lead the design subteam and create compelling visuals that showcase a new South Main Street. This involved a section rendering, a full top down site plan for the entire corridor, and perspective renderings. I also visualized five construction phases for the project using Beyond Typicals.

Aerial diagram: South Main Street runs east to west, crossed by the Chemung River and the Greenway, with Route 14 to the north and side streets feeding into the corridor.
South Main Street (red) between the Chemung River and Greenway (west) and Route 14

Frontage Analysis

Land Use

Land use along South Main Street: commercial in the north including a large surface lot, the E. Flannery Apartments, a civic building, and residential blocks in the south.
  • Civic
  • Commercial
  • Residential
  • Abandoned

Building Conditions

Building conditions along South Main Street, rated excellent, good, fair, poor, or empty parcel.
  • Excellent
  • Good
  • Fair
  • Poor
  • Empty Parcel

Urban Fabric

Urban fabric along South Main Street: suburban strip stretches, a typical downtown section, and a residential neighborhood at the south end.
  • Suburban Strip
  • Typical Downtown
  • Neighborhood

Existing Streetscape

Street section of the existing South Main Street, 62 feet wide: 6-foot sidewalks, 9-foot parking on both sides, two 11-foot common lanes and a 10-foot two-way left turn lane.

New Complete Street

Street section of the new complete street in the same 62 feet: parking removed on one side for a 2-foot buffer and two 4-foot bike lanes, with an 8-foot parking lane, the turn lane and two common lanes kept.

Implementing Complete Street Design

Art murals activate residential zones, enhanced crossings support downtown retail, and bus infrastructure serves the Flannery Apartments’ civic frontage. By calibrating interventions to the urban fabric while prioritizing pedestrian safety, a fragmented corridor is transformed into a cohesive path that connects residents to essential services.

Plan detail of an intersection with a raised crosswalk, a corner island and bike racks.
Bike racks, corner island, raised crosswalk
Plan detail of a dedicated bus stop area and new shelter beside a lawn with an outdoor food truck.
Dedicated bus stop area, new bus stop shelter, outdoor food truck
Plan detail of a sidewalk bulb-out with green planters and a green median beside the bike lane.
Sidewalk bulb-out, green planters, green median
Plan detail of a skewed intersection with shortened crossings and new markings.
Smaller crossing distance, improved intersection markings, traffic light timing optimization

Full Complete Street

Hover over the plan to magnify

Full top-down site plan of the South Main Street corridor over an aerial photo, showing the new green bike lane, crossings and curb extensions along its length, with Route 14 to the north.

Construction Phases

  1. Phase 1: the existing street with parking on both sides, two travel lanes and a center turn lane.

    Phase 1 - Existing

    • Document pavement conditions & infrastructure
    • Survey utility locations and right-of-way
    • Establish traffic control for initial work zone
  2. Phase 2: traffic moved to two lanes on one side while the bike lane is built behind cones.

    Phase 2

    • Move through traffic to the two East-side lanes
    • Install traffic barriers and construction signage
    • Pour concrete and pave new bike lanes + buffer
  3. Phase 3: traffic in temporary central lanes, the new green bike lane open, and the far side under construction.

    Phase 3

    • Move through traffic to temporary central lanes
    • Temporary bollards between road and bike lane
    • Pave new markings and curb for left lane
  4. Phase 4: traffic in its permanent central lanes while the turn lane, parking lane and bike buffer are paved.

    Phase 4

    • Move through traffic to permanent central lanes
    • Final paving changes for middle turn lane, the parking lane, and the bike buffer
  5. Phase 5: the finished complete street with cars, a protected bike lane in use, and people on the sidewalks.

    Phase 5 - Completion

    • Remove all temporary traffic control devices
    • Install signage and wayfinding elements
    • Final inspection and official re-opening

Perspective Renders

South Main Street today: a wide empty road between houses and a low strip of shops.
Before
The same stretch with a protected bike lane, planters and people cycling and walking past the shops.
After
South Main Street outside the Flannery Apartments today: a wide road with a turn lane and no crossing.
Before
The same view with a bus stopped at a new shelter, a pedestrian crossing sign, street lights and a wheelchair user on the sidewalk.
After