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Decatur Diary | March 19, 2019

Construction Begins in April on Commerce Drive Cycle Track

The Decatur City Commission has awarded a contract for construction of the Commerce Drive Cycle Track to Lewallen Construction Company. Work is expected to begin in April and may last up to a year.

Cycle tracks, which are bicycle lanes physically separated from automobile traffic, allow for safer cycling by bicyclists of all ages and skills.

This particular segment, which will run west from the intersection of N. McDonough Street and W. Trinity Place to Commerce Drive and then north/northeast on Commerce Drive to its intersection with Clairemont Avenue, was the first project recommended for implementation in the city’s PATH Connectivity Plan.

City Commission consideration of the Commerce plan dates back to 2015 but was delayed when residents requested the original approach, painted bike lanes, be revised. Bicyclists pushed for separated lanes to promote safety; thereafter, motorists expressed concern about vehicle lanes being removed.

The resulting design addresses both of these issues, creating protective medians along the bikeway while allowing Commerce’s four lane configuration to be retained from West Ponce to Clairemont.

Click for larger view.

Click for larger view.

The installation will provide a connection with two other bike/pedestrian improvements: the recently-completed North McDonough streetscape improvements; and the planned Church Street cycle track.

The PATH Foundation has been responsible for the design and engineering of the project and will be managing its construction.

A one-block connection to the Church Street cycle track on Commerce Drive between Clairemont and Church will be built as part of the Bank of America redevelopment and the Clairemont-Commerce-Church Street bike-pedestrian safety improvements.

When all phases are complete there will be protected bike lanes extending from the Stone Mountain Trail along the CSX rail corridor to the northern city limits on Church Street.


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