The 1600-1800 blocks of the Ben Franklin Parkway are under construction and, as we previously reported, temporary bike lanes are being maintained during the construction period.
We received an email from the Mayor’s Office of Transportation & Utilities asking us to pass long this information to those who will be using the Parkway starting on Tuesday, May 26th.
The staged construction starting next week will be occurring on the north side of the Parkway. Currently, the far right-hand lane is closed off and bicyclists are using it since it’s very wide and closed to traffic; however, [starting the week of May 25] construction and equipment will occupy the right lane and the , which is why there is a left-side bike lane (painted yellow) that was recently painted adjacent to the median.
At 18th Street, a bicyclist in the left-hand bike lane will need to get over to the right-hand existing bike lane on the west side of 18th. We anticipate that experienced bicyclists will share the road with motor vehicles at this point and ride into the right-hand bike lane as they cross 18th. To accommodate inexperienced bicyclists, people who are unfamiliar with the traffic patterns, or bicyclists dealing with heavy WB Parkway traffic volumes, a temporary sign will be placed in the median directing bikes in the left-hand lane to stop, wait for the walk signal, cross the westbound lanes of the Parkway, then proceed across 18th essentially acting like a bike two-stage turn.
Additionally, four bicycle detour signs will be installed as an alternative to using the Parkway. The bike detour will direct WB bicyclists north on 16th to Cherry, west on Cherry to 18th, then north on 18th and the Parkway.
We drew out this map to help visualize what how the temporary westbound bike and the detour look from an overhead view.