On Monday the City of Detroit announced that it will begin the first phase of a project that will "increase safety, mobility and connectivity" along a East Jefferson Avenue in downtown Detroit.
The project, which will stretch 5.4 miles down East Jefferson, will welcome redesigned driving lanes, new protected bike lanes and dedicated parking lanes, according to a press release from the city.
Key elements of the redesign include:
- Converting the road from seven driving lanes to five lanes (two driving lanes in each direction and a dedicated left-turn lane.) This will create shorter crossing distances for pedestrians and help to calm traffic along East Jefferson, as well.
- Installing clearer crosswalks to further improve pedestrian safety.
- Adding protected bike lanes on both sides of East Jefferson. The bike lanes will occupy the curb lane. To improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety, a designated formal parking lane will be installed next to the bike lane, away from the curb, and with a buffer zone between it and the bike lane.
The project is scheduled to begin the week of May 14, and is expected to be completed by July 4. According to a release, the project will be split into three phase in order to minimize the project's impact on traffic.
For the first phase of construction, the redesign will be from Lakewood to St. Jeans streets, then phase two will occur from St. Jean to Van Dyke, followed by phase three from Van Dyke to Rivard. After each phase is completed, that area will be fully reopened before moving on the next phase of construction.
For more information, or to submit feedback on the project, visit www.detroitmi.gov/eastjefferson.
