Traffic separation barriers will be installed next month along the East Third Street bicycle lane.
E&B Paving will put in two types of barriers between Indiana and Eagleson avenues — small speed bumps and bendable delineator posts.
The city’s public works board awarded the $35,200 project bid in December.
A city news release says the barriers are necessary because drivers illegally stop and park inside the bike lane, causing safety concerns for cyclists, bus operators and other drivers.
“A protected bike lane creates a physical barrier between cyclists and vehicular traffic – deterring undesired use and providing a more predictable environment for all road users,” the release states.
Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator Hank Duncan said the city used resident feedback over several years to determine need.
“This particular corridor is one of, if not the most frequently requested location for a protected bike lane in the city,” Duncan wrote in an email to WFIU/WTIU News. “Using UReport, emails, and comments to city staff, it was clear that illegal parking in the bike lane is a constant problem that needed to be addressed.”
Installation will start March 11 and is expected to be completed by the end of that week.
The city said it’s doing the project then because Indiana University and the Monroe County Community School Corporation will both be on spring break.
It added the project may be “refined or modified to best suit the transportation needs of the corridor in the future.”
The Bloomington Bicycle & Pedestrian Safety Commission, Bloomington Transit and Indiana University all support the project, according to the release.
