Lance Armstrong Bikeway

Summary

Since our last update in June, Lance Armstrong won his third straight Tour de France victory, the first American ever to do so (Greg LeMond is the only other American to win the world's most grueling bike race three times, but his victories were spread out over several years). With the name of such an accomplished American attached to this project, the City of Austin hopes to make the Lance Armstrong Bikeway a world-class facility that will further establish Austin as a unique, livable and highly entertaining city

Status

Together with consultant Wilbur Smith Associates of Houston, staff of the Transportation, Planning and Sustainability and Public Works Departments spent this past spring and summer planning the alignment for the route. Several public meetings were held in August to hear input from citizens, neighborhood groups, cycling associations and business owners on myriad elements of the route. The Bikeway will pass through Downtown from IH-35 to Shoal Creek as striped, on-street bicycle lanes, following a combination of the 3rd and 4th Street corridors. TPSD staff is close to finalizing the alignment, considering both the design goals of the Great Streets project and possible future light rail facilities.

Design and engineering will last through 2002, with construction to begin in 2003.

Description

The Bikeway is a six-mile bike route from U.S. 183 in East Austin, through Downtown, and terminating at Lake Austin Blvd and Veteran's Drive. Funding for the project came from the Transportation Enhancements program of TEA-21, the federal legislation passed by Congress first in 1990 (as ISTEA) and later renewed in 1997. One of the chief goals of TEA-21 is to encourage communities to boost alternative transportation by funding transit, bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

Basic Data

• Project Manager: Tom Benz, Dept. of Public Works and Transportation, 974-7220
• Bicycle Program Contact: Linda DuPriest, 974-7240, Dept. of Transportation Planning and Sustainability .

Back to the October 2001 Downtown Report