Blog: City Blog

Protected Bike Lanes Installed on Broadway

On the Father's Day and Juneteenth weekend, City crews went the extra mile to enhance the safety of a third of a mile of bicycle lanes on North Broadway between West Depot Avenue and Tyson Street.

The aim was to not disrupt traffic, so the Transportation Engineering crew gave up their Saturday night and worked into the early Sunday morning. Thank you for your service! #KnoxvilleJobWellDone

North Broadway protected bike lane, installed 2023

North Broadway protected bike lane, installed 2023

The stretch of Broadway is just one-third of a mile long, but it's a critical connector used by large numbers of bicyclists to reach dozens of destinations or other bike corridors. It's a favorite path of many University of Tennessee students who bike in from North Knoxville and cut through World's Fair Park to access campus.

"It's used a lot by students living in Fourth and Gill and off Central," said Jon Livengood, the City's Alternate Transportation Engineer. "This is a major road, shared by a large number of bicyclists. So you want protection in places like this, where there's a good number of cars, sometimes moving fast."

On this stretch of Broadway, buffered bike lanes were converted to protected bike lanes. The enhancement means that highly visible delineators and green markings on the pavement have been added.

"There's a benefit to having the vertical separation," Livengood said. "It really helps with getting the attention of otherwise distracted drivers."

Jon Livengood, Alternate Transportation Engineer

It's just the second protected bike lane in the City, after the Hill Avenue Viaduct.

Did you know that the City now has 21.5 miles of bike lane infrastructure?

Click on the map image above to visit an interactive map at I BIKE KNX.

There are three basic types of bicycle infrastructure:

• Standard bike lanes, which are marked with white lines

• Buffered lanes, which are wider with hashed-out markings

• Protected lanes, which have a vertical barrier

The investment in bicycle safety infrastructure is compatible with the City's Vision Zero goal to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries on Knoxville's streets. The intent is to increase safe, healthy and equitable mobility for all residents, relying on data-driven decision-making and communitywide collaboration.

For more information, visit www.KnoxvilleTN.gov/VisionZero.

And for more details about the City's efforts to add bike lanes, click HERE.

Posted by evreeland On 30 June, 2023 at 11:22 AM