Construction for the new 2.2-mile protected bike lane on North 4th Street from Italian Village through University District begins Monday, June 8.
A protected bike lane is an exclusive pathway separated from both motor vehicle traffic and pedestrians.
Columbus Transportation Planning Manager Brian Ashworth said the new bike lane is needed because of the heightened risk of collisions between motor vehicle and cyclists based on volume of cars and speed of travel.
Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission traffic counts show more than 10,000 vehicles travel much of North 4th Street daily.
The new design moves the bikeway against the curb and is physically protected by street parking. Current on-street parking will be moved to where the unprotected bike lane now sits, swapping their locations. The bike lane will remain northbound one-way.
“In doing our own parking studies to ensure that we're keeping as much parking as possible while ensuring that we have the proper site distances to make sure that it's as safe as possible again for everyone using the corridor,” Ashworth said.
The new bike plans are a part of the Vision Zero Columbus initiative to end crash-related fatalities and injuries by supporting proper education and infrastructure for safer transportation.
The design is aligned with the city’s adoption of the Bike Plus plan, a long-term plan to add more bikeways to the city and encourage more people to use bicycles, scooters, skateboards and rollerblades for transportation and recreation.
The city has also finished work to improve safety at the intersection of North 4th Street and East 5th Avenue.
“We are trying to make, in this specific case, 4th Street and 5th Avenue safer for all users, whether you're in a car, you're walking, or you're on a bike. We're making improvements to both of those corridors for the safety of all users,” said Ashworth.
Ashworth said construction crews will begin work at the south end of the project, at Warren Street, and move towards the north limit at Hudson Street.
Milling and paving will take about two weeks followed by several days to install pavement markings and protective posts with expected completion July 2.
The current North 4th Street bike lanes will be temporarily closed during construction. Motorists will be prohibited from parking on the west side of North 4th Street from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. during the work.
Cyclists may take alternative routes on 1st, 2nd or 3rd avenues to reach the Olentangy Trail, or to east-west streets in the University District area north of East 11th Avenue to reach the bike lanes on Summit Street.
