Tempe to add bike lanes to McClintock Drive

Cyclists in Tempe will be able to ride in long-awaited bike lanes on McClintock Drive beginning in mid-July.

As part of Tempe’s asset management paving program, the city is adding bike lanes to McClintock Drive between Broadway and Guadalupe roads.

Tempe will hold an open house to let people know more about the project on May 4 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Tempe Public Library, 3500 S. Rural Road.

In order to add bicycle lanes, the city will remove one or two vehicle lanes, maintaining two lanes in each direction and a middle turn lane through the entire stretch.

Traffic volumes on McClintock Drive have dropped by more than 20 percent in the last 10 years, largely due to completion of the urban freeway network and an increase in the number of commuters choosing alternative modes of transportation, including biking, walking and riding the bus.

“Through adoption of the General Plan 2040 and Transportation Master Plan, the Tempe City Council and community have demonstrated support for managing our transportation future by getting people out of their cars so that we don’t have to follow an endless path of building bigger, wider roads and parking facilities,” said Pam Goronkin, who chairs the city’s Transportation Commission.

The paving and striping project will begin May 18 and is expected to be completed by mid-July.

Traffic on McClintock Drive will be restricted at varying locations while the work is being done.

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