An effort that began in 2021 to improve cyclist accessibility along Scottsdale Road breaks ground next week in Tempe.
Scottsdale Road is a major arterial road connecting a high volume of drivers to multiple cities and community centers. The bike lane project aims to connect cyclists to the city of Scottsdale and their existing bikeways on Roosevelt Street.
But in Tempe, a strip of white paint is all that separates motorists from cyclists on the road. The project will introduce buffer lanes, safety posts and green paint to help increase visibility for drivers.
Chase Walman is the lead transportation planner for Tempe.
“We're really trying to identify a product and a kind of design intervention that's going to balance operations and maintenance response to the community," Walman said.
Walman said the project will only marginally reduce the width of the travel lanes, and the project is set to be complete by spring.
