Cyclists on Broadway will soon have a safe space to ride as Denver Public Works will add a two-lane bikeway to a six-block stretch of the busy road.
The project is a part of the Denver Moves Broadway/Lincoln Corridor Study.The bike path is going in from Bayaud to Virginia Avenue.
Drivers on Broadway will start seeing cones and striping work starting Monday. The goal is to have the new bike lanes open by August 15.
Broadway has four driving lanes, one for buses and street parking. One thing that's missing is a designated path for cyclists.
"Oh yeah, it would be a great idea to have a bike lane on Broadway," said cyclist Xavier Chavez.
Denver Public Works knows the continuing growth of the city is putting more two and four wheeled vehicles on the road.
"What we would like to do is organize traffic along this corridor better to give everyone a safe place to be," said Nancy Kuhn with Denver Public Works.
In order to do that, one of the driving lanes in the half mile area will be re-purposed for the bikeway.
"So within one lane, we're going to have a two-way bikeway so you can go both directions and we're going to maintain parking as well because that is something we know is very important to the businesses," said Kuhn.
The design will look something like the bike lane on Lawrence Street in downtown Denver. Street parking is still available, it's just pushed out away from the curb, creating a protected bikeway.
New signals are going in for both cyclists and drivers to make sure that when the light is green for bikes, a car won't cut them off.
"It's a two-sided thing. We have to respect the cars and the cars have to respect the cyclists, but I think having our own space is definitely going to help," said cyclist Kelby Kaufman.
Kaufman's been hit twice while riding his bike, so he's looking forward to the new lanes that will keep him off the busy street and away from pedestrians on the sidewalk.
Public Works will study the new lanes for three to six months with the possibility of the new addition lasting for more than a year.
"I hope that it proves successful and that they can implement it not only on Broadway but different parts of the city," said Kaufman.
