No Plans to Implement Bike Plan on N Texas Blvd
June 14, 2021
City staff have confirmed they did not plan or budget to implement Denton’s Bike Plan along N Texas Blvd during its reconstruction this year. Staff are reviewing options for bicycle accommodations, but it will be more difficult to implement since the Bike Plan was not considered in the earlier budgeting and design phases. N Texas Blvd has been a designated bike route in the Denton Bike Plan since its adoption in 2012.
Reading: Importance of N Texas Blvd in the Bicycle Network
In 2017, a road diet was planned for N Texas Blvd but was never implemented. It is possible the project was delayed until reconstruction of the street.
The draft 2020 Mobility Plan still shows a road diet on N Texas Blvd, reducing travel lanes from four to two and adding a bike lane in each direction and a center turn lane.
Draft 2020 Mobility Plan showing bike lanes for N Texas Blvd and implementation of a road diet.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, roads with fewer than 20,000 vehicle trips per day are good candidates for a road diet. A 2019 traffic count shows about 11,000 daily vehicle trips on the busiest portion of N Texas Blvd near I-35.
Since the Bike Plan’s adoption in 2012, the city’s implementation strategy has been to install bicycle accommodations when a street from the Bike Plan is being resurfaced or re-striped. While this requires a longer wait time before bike lanes are built, it is a more cost-efficient method of implementation.
Because the city did not plan or budget for a bicycle accommodation as part of the current project, there is risk of increased cost to implement the bicycle infrastructure in the future. There is also risk that implementation of bike accommodations may be delayed until the next capital project on N Texas Blvd. These projects typically occur after a street has fallen into poor repair—typically 30+ years after its last reconstruction.
Failing to implement bicycle accommodations now on N Texas Blvd means the cost to do so will increase or that we may have to wait another 30+ years for safer bicycle access on N Texas Blvd. There has already been a nine year wait since the Bike Plan was first adopted.
Additional streets from the Denton Bike Plan are undergoing construction this year: Hercules Ln, Fulton St, Crescent St, Welch St, and Sycamore St. Will we follow our implementation strategy for the Bike Plan on these roadways or delay implementation for another 30+ years?
To share your thoughts, concerns, or suggestions, contact your Denton City Council representative.
