Floyd Avenue Bike Boulevard Construction to Begin November 16
Construction of the City’s first “Bike Boulevard” will begin on November 16. The Bike Boulevard is being installed along a 2-mile stretch of Floyd Avenue from North Thompson Street to North Laurel Street. This capital improvement project represents an estimated investment of $900,000, with the majority of funding coming from Federal funding sources.
“Forward movement with this Bike Boulevard project helps tremendously with our effort to develop a city-wide network of bike infrastructure,” said Mayor Dwight C. Jones. “Through this project, we are further diversifying mobility in the city and enhancing both transportation options and recreation. It’s very exciting to see us reach the point of starting construction.”
The targeted section of Floyd Avenue will receive engineering treatments to make it an efficient, safe bicycle route with low traffic speeds and volumes, while also incorporating improvements for pedestrians. The project includes the following safety measures:
• Landscaped residential traffic circles and bump outs
• Raised crosswalks
• Pedestrian crosswalk markings and signs
• Wheelchair accessible ramps
• Green sharrow markings
Final plans for the Floyd Avenue bike boulevard followed extensive community meetings and input. The enhancements will improve vehicular and pedestrian interaction through slower operating speeds for motorists and shorter crossing distances for pedestrians.
To minimize the impact on businesses and residents during construction there will be no complete street closures. On occasion, there will be single lane closures. As the project advances, residents and motorists are encouraged to adhere to signage in the work zones.
The City’s Bike Master Plan, released in May of this year, has identified several other corridors which would benefit from bike boulevards - such as North 29th Street in Church Hill and Allen Street in the Fan and Randolph communities. Funds are being sought to pursue these projects in the future.