Harrisonburg to host two open houses Thursday to review ADA transition plan

The City of Harrisonburg transportation planning division has been working on an Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, transition plan to make transportation facilities accessible to all, regardless of ability.

Harrisonburg Public Works will host an open house to discuss the plan on Thursday, March 14, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and again from 4 to 6 p.m. The open houses will be held at the Harrisonburg City Hall Council Chambers at 409 S. Main St. in Harrisonburg.

Community members will be able to learn about current efforts, ask questions and provide feedback on ADA accessibility in Harrisonburg. ASL interpretation will be available at both open house events.

“As we navigate through annual paving, maintenance schedules and capital projects, we feel that it is our responsibility to move forward with updating current transportation and pedestrian infrastructure to be ADA accessible,” said Erin Yancey, Harrisonburg Public Works planning manager. “This plan will be helpful in ensuring we are focused on constantly identifying accessibility needs in existing infrastructure, meeting standards in new projects and evolving to make Harrisonburg accessible and the friendliest city possible for all our community members and visitors.”

The plan looks at all pedestrian infrastructure types including:

• walkways (sidewalks and shared use paths)
• intersections (curb ramps, crosswalks and pedestrian signals)
• on-street parking
• bus stops
• work zones

Attendees of the open house will have the opportunity to:

• View educational displays about the ADA transition plan
• View the city’s ADA self evaluation data
• Speak directly with city staff about the plan and current content
• Share specific accessibility-related experiences with public transportation facilities and express thoughts and questions through a public questionnaire that will be available during and after the event

The project questionnaire will be available digitally until March 28.

Written or oral questions and comments may be submitted to Brittany Clem-Hott by emailing [email protected] or calling (540) 434-5928.

The questionnaire and more information about the ADA transition plan may be found online.