The project has been years in the making. NBC 7’s Audra Stafford reports.
A long-awaited bike lane project along Pershing Drive is pedaling toward the finish line. The first piece will officially open Saturday with the rest of the construction set to wrap up in the coming weeks.
Pershing Drive used to look more like an extension of a freeway. Now, it’s more of a bike-friendly boulevard with a protected two-way bike lane, sidewalks, crosswalks, new lighting and landscaping.
The Pershing Drive bikeway begins in North Park at the intersection of Utah and Landis it’ll continue all the way to C Street in downtown.
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Planning for the project began in 2016 and broke ground after a bicyclist and a person riding a scooter were hit and killed in 2021. But the construction has taken longer than expected leading to frustration among those who live and work in the area who have been faced with road closures and detours.
Project manager Chris Carterette says the team has encountered a number of unforeseen challenges throughout this process including old, buried utilities that hadn’t been mapped and two unprecedented rain years.
“Rain days basically mean that the crew doesn’t come out and then a lot of the times, especially when you’re doing earthwork, it means that you’ve got to wait a few days before you can start working again,” Carterette said.
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Despite the delays, he believes both drivers and cyclists will be happy with the new and improved Pershing Drive.
Starting Saturday, Pershing will be open to traffic in both directions. The Jacaranda Place and Redwood Street connectors will come online by August.
