The repaving of Pinecrest, which closed the north-south connector street between Nine Mile Road and Pleasant Ridge for most of the summer, has brought an additional benefit besides smoother pavement: semi-protected bike lanes.
The bike lanes run curbside on both sides of the street between Nine Mile and West Oakridge Street. They’re separated from traffic lanes by double lines painted on the pavement, with cluster of three posts near every intersection.
They add to a growing network of bike lanes and sharrows in the city, including on Livernois Avenue and Hilton Road.
In other news, plans are in the works to add buffered bike lanes, surface paint, medians and protected cross-walks on West Nine Mile Road as part of a “road diet” between Pinecrest and Coolidge in Oak Park. The project is essentially a joint project with Oak Park, which is expected to take the lead, and made possible via a federal Transportation Alternatives Program grant. Ferndale’s City Council approved its $127,717 local-match portion in July.
A rendering of a proposed linear park concept on West Nine Mile in Oak Park.
Oak Park appears to be weighing several different options for the project, including various configurations for angled parking, off-street pedestrian trails and a linear park concept for the south side of Nine Mile, where homes are set back from road and separated by wide grassy areas. It would also decrease traffic lanes from four to three.
When completed, likely in 2018, bicyclists would be able to travel from Coolidge in Oak Park all the way to the Hazel Park border using designated bike lanes or sharrows.
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