Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
PROVO — The expansive concrete of Bulldog Boulevard could soon undergo some changes to increase safety on the road that sees more than three times the statewide average of vehicle-bicycle crashes.
Mayor John Curtis announced the proposal Thursday on his blog, saying the changes come on the heels of a 2014 traffic study by consulting firm Interplan that found the crash rate on the corridor was significantly higher than the state and city average. Many of these crashes were caused by left turns across multiple lanes of traffic, the city said.
The redesign of Bulldog Boulevard would add medians and bike lanes to the 35-mph road and possibly consolidate business driveways to increase safety and reduce possible vehicular-bicycle conflicts. Traffic signals would be added to accommodate U-turns and left turns to access businesses along the boulevard.
The medians would have planters with grass and greenery and the bike lanes in each direction would be protected by a small planter median. In addition to improving safety, the goal of the project is also beautification, according to the proposal.
The additions would reduce the number of lanes in each direction to two.
"The traffic study showed that converting the outside lane to a bicycle lane will minimally impact traffic flow on Bulldog Boulevard and intersections, even using 2040 traffic projections, which account for growth in the area," Curtis wrote.
Currently, the corridor serves more than 25,000 vehicles during daily peak travel times.
The area most impacted by the lane reduction, according to the city, would be the Bulldog Boulevard and University Avenue intersection. It added, however, that the intersection would need improvement regardless of the addition of bike lanes.
Construction could start as early as spring 2017 and end that fall, if everything goes smoothly, Deputy Mayor Corey Norman said. The $4 million to $4.5 million redesign and construction would likely involve federal funds, Norman said, so management responsibility has yet to be determined.
