June 21--Construction of protected bicycle lanes along a stretch of Clybourn Avenue in Chicago will begin Monday, the Illinois Department of Transportation said Sunday.
The project will create a raised concrete median between bikes and motorized vehicles along Clybourn between North Avenue and Division Street, as well as on Division between Clybourn and Orleans Street, IDOT said.
The project will be completed in early August, IDOT said, but until then daily, intermittent lane closures will be required.
The work follows the opening by the city last week of the "green wave" on Wells Street between Huron Street and Wacker Drive. The idea behind the green wave is to improve safety by synchronizing traffic signals at a preset speed to allow continuous flow for bicyclists and fewer stops at red lights for drivers, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation.
The stretch of Wells between Huron and Wacker is one-way southbound and a popular commuter biking route.
Traffic signals on Wells have been retimed for bicycle travel speeds of 12 mph and vehicle speeds of 25 mph, CDOT said.
Officials said they expect the changes will result in increased compliance with red lights.
Wells is identified as a crosstown route, and the street is outfitted with buffer-protected bike lanes.
Bicyclists represent up to 38 percent of all traffic during morning rush periods, CDOT said, adding that Wells was a prime candidate for safety improvements because of a high rate of vehicle-bicycle crashes -- 362 from 2009 to 2013.
The Emanuel administration set a goal four years ago to build 100 miles of barrier-protected bike lanes by this year. The plan was subsequently revised to include buffer-protected bike lanes, which don't provide as strong a protection against vehicles. More than 90 miles of both types of lanes have opened to date, according to CDOT.
jhilkevitch@tribpub.com
