As the weather continues to warm, the City of Kansas City, Mo., has begun installation of 352 lane miles of bike routes and “share the road” signs throughout the city. Located primarily on quiet residential streets, the signs provide the beginning for a 600-mile bikeway system in Kansas City. The signage will not only help guide cyclists as they travel, but they also will help cyclists identify which streets are bicycle-friendly for travel.
Installation of the signs will complete the third phase of a three-phase project that started in 2002 with the adoption of the Bike KC plan. Phase 2 was completed in 2010 when the City replaced water inlets, sewer grates and utility covers with ones that are safer for cyclists along the initial 176-mile route. This work is part of a $1.9 million federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality grant received by the City.
Details of the new route system can be found on the City’s website at www.kcmo.org/bikekc. In addition to the signed routes, the City has constructed 24 lane miles of bike lanes, nine lane miles of sharrows and 65 miles of trails. When fully implemented, the City will have 600 miles of on-street bicycle facilities and 230 miles of shared use trails.
“The City is committed to becoming a platinum-designated bicycle-friendly community by 2020,” said Sherri McIntyre, Public Works director. “Adding bike facilities like the route signage is a priority for the City. Implementation of this project has provided the most cost effective means of constructing the facilities by leveraging federal and state funds with local funding.”