Press release from the City:
Fort Wayne continues progress on making city more bicycle friendly
New bike racks installed downtown, additional bike lanes to be added in springStanding in front of new lime-green bike racks on Wayne Street, Mayor Tom Henry announced today that the City of Fort Wayne is continuing its progress of making the community and especially downtown more bicycle friendly.
“The City in cooperation with the Bike Fort Wayne task force has been implementing ideas from the public input we received in the last year, and we are starting to see the results,” Mayor Henry said. “Downtown was the top destination people indicated they wanted to ride their bikes to, so we are continuing with ways to make it more friendly for those using two wheels.”
The City is installing 117 bike racks in downtown Fort Wayne with one of three designs:
- 12-inch circle that frames a bicycle silhouette and mounts directly to parking meter posts
- free-standing bollard that has a 12-inch ring to which bikes can be secured
- standard inverted U rack
The racks will be located primarily along Wayne and Berry streets between Broadway and Barr Street, along Calhoun Street between Washington Boulevard and Berry, along Barr near the Barr Street Market, Headwaters Park, Freimann Square and Parkview Field.
A Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant from the Northeast Indiana Regional Coordinating Council with a 20 percent match from the Community Development Division’s portion of the CEDIT bond funds the $18,770 project. City Traffic Operations crews are installing the racks.
Bike lanes on Wayne, Berry, Rudisill
Earlier this summer, the City added a bike lane on Wayne Street between Ewing and Calhoun streets as part of a resurfacing project.
The Indiana Department of Transportation has approved American Reinvestment and Recovery Act funding for the addition of bike lanes as part of pavement resurfacing for the remaining blocks of Wayne between Broadway and Coombs Street and Berry Street between that same stretch.
In addition, INDOT approved stimulus money for bike lanes and lane reconfiguration of Rudisill Boulevard from Anthony Boulevard to Old Mill Road. Between Anthony and Calhoun Street, the pavement will be resurfaced with the addition of bike lanes in both directions and reducing two through-lanes in either direction with one through lane each way and a turn lane throughout. From Calhoun to Old Mill, the existing pavement markings will be ground off to add bike lanes and the same three-lane configuration.
INDOT will let both projects Dec. 9 with construction expected next spring.
Reed Road Bike Route
The City’s Traffic Operations crews will install custom-designed bike route signs starting this month along the previously announced Reed Road bike route that runs between at the Reed and Evard Road intersection and Tennessee Avenue at the Rivergreenway. For this route, vehicles and bicycles will share the roadway. Pavement markings for the route will be added next spring.
Click here for a map of this pilot project.
The Indiana Department of Transportation has approved American Reinvestment and Recovery Act funding for the addition of bike lanes as part of pavement resurfacing for the remaining blocks of Wayne between Broadway and Coombs Street and Berry Street between that same stretch.
In addition, INDOT approved stimulus money for bike lanes and lane reconfiguration of Rudisill Boulevard from Anthony Boulevard to Old Mill Road. Between Anthony and Calhoun Street, the pavement will be resurfaced with the addition of bike lanes in both directions and reducing two through-lanes in either direction with one through lane each way and a turn lane throughout. From Calhoun to Old Mill, the existing pavement markings will be ground off to add bike lanes and the same three-lane configuration.
INDOT will let both projects Dec. 9 with construction expected next spring.
Reed Road Bike Route
The City’s Traffic Operations crews will install custom-designed bike route signs starting this month along the previously announced Reed Road bike route that runs between at the Reed and Evard Road intersection and Tennessee Avenue at the Rivergreenway. For this route, vehicles and bicycles will share the roadway. Pavement markings for the route will be added next spring.
Click here for a map of this pilot project.
Madrax – manufacturer of the new bicycle racks and accoutrements
Related Images:
attention Bike Task Force.
I have been involved with Northwest Allen Trails. The future Pufferbelly Rail-Trail will connect to the greenway near the Old Wells street brige at the south end in the future. I don’t know if you have any thoughts of a trail or bike lanes that would lead to the public library and the Parkview Field from that point but I think this could be a great thing. I also think that the Old Wells St bridge has great potential as a GAteway to downtown FT Wayne from the north.
This rail corridor in the future will be a path that leads thousands of people to the zoo,a ballgame,the library, science central and many other points of interest.Having a safe means for families to do this via bike will be awesome.