New bike lanes on Montview will be separated from motor vehicle lanes by a painted buffer.

The City of Aurora is moving forward with a pilot project to install bike lanes on Montview Blvd. to improve mobility options for all travel modes in this heavily travelled corridor. Before the end of October, bike lanes will be installed on Montview Blvd. between Havana and Oswego streets. The installation is happening in conjunction with a street repaving project for that segment of Montview.

While Montview Blvd. will remain two lanes in both directions along that stretch, the project will eliminate on-street parking where bike lanes are installed. The center two-way turn lane also will be preserved. The bike lanes will replace the “sharrows” installed a few years ago. One key safety feature is the “buffering” of the bike lanes by separating them from adjacent motorized traffic by striping the pavement.

Depending on the success of the pilot project, the city will evaluate the potential extension of the lanes west to the city limits at Yosemite St. (Central Park Blvd.) in summer 2017. This extension would provide continuity to the bike lanes on the Denver portion of Montview. The stretch of Montview from Peoria to Oswego St. would not be re-striped pending re-evaluation of and possible reconstruction of that major intersection. Aurora has not established a timetable for that potential project.

“Montview Blvd. is a key transportation corridor between the Anschutz Medical Campus and all points west,” said Karen Hancock, planning supervisor for the city of Aurora. “These improvements are about creating a safer passageway for all modes of travel on Montview Blvd. The new facilities will not only provide a dedicated lane for cyclists to address past conflicts caused by shared use of the drive lane, but also will provide a buffer for pedestrians on the sidewalks.”

The Montview bike lanes will be complemented by two new facilities being installed as development of the Aurora portion of Stapleton gets underway: bike lanes along 26th Ave. and a multiuse path through the 26th Ave. Park and the residential development taking place in the blocks bounded by Fulton St., 26th Ave., Moline St. and 25th Ave.