New ‘two-way’ bike lanes along 10th Street start construction

Project will eventually stretch to Peachtree Street

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Atlanta’s newest bike lanes are in the works.

The first phase of the “two-way cycle track” along 10th Street between Monroe Drive and Charles Allen Drive started construction this week - and depending on the weather, could be completed and unveiled in early August - and will eventually stretch all the way to Peachtree Street. The two-way track on the north side of the street funded by the PATH Foundation and the Midtown Alliance is the first of its kind in the city.

Plastic posts and a marked buffer will separate cars and cyclists. Once completed, it will feature three ramps to connect the lanes to Piedmont Park. It will also include a push-button signal and a special area - called a “two-stage left-turn queue box” - to help pedalers turn left onto Charles Allen Drive. Building the project on the the east-west street makes sense, city officials say. According to data collected from the Cycle Atlanta app the city launched with Georgia Tech, 10th Street is a popular route for bicyclists. That was evident this morning as a few bicyclists pedaling west snuck between the poles as they traveled toward Midtown.

The project gobbled up an entire lane of road, a cost-effective (and smart) design feature that could also ease traffic along the parkside street. The city says studies show the project is expected to have minimal impact on car traffic.

Its second phase, which will stretch to Myrtle Street, will be fully funded by the city and is expected to start construction later this year. The lanes will eventually reach Peachtree Street, which would help bicyclists safely link to MARTA or other bike lanes in Midtown.

The two-way track is among more than 25 projects planned across Atlanta to help make the city more bike-friendly. The lanes are near the entrance to the Atlanta Beltline’s wildly popular Eastside Trail - which also links to the Freedom Park path - and offers two-wheelers a safe, direct connection to Midtown and MARTA rail. More “high-priority projects” will be funded in the next three years with more than $2.5 million in leftover bond funding. City Hall officials are also vetting proposals for a bike-share program similar to what’s found in New York, Miami, and Barcelona.

What’s interesting, aside from the fact that the project, once completed, will help improve the city’s network of bike lanes and facilities: the PATH Foundation is helping to build a bicycle project that is located on the street. Usually the nonprofit trail builder constructs paths away from roads. In a statement, PATH Foundation Executive Director Ed McBrayer said the project makes sense because it will help connect the organization’s trails in an area where it’s not feasible to lay new concrete.