Bike lanes start appearing in Oak Park

A few of Oak Park’s roads are about to become a lot more attractive.

Oak Park’s first bike lanes will be installed on Chicago Avenue and Division Street. In addition, Augusta Boulevard will have a shared bike lane and a village-wide wayfinding signage project will be installed.

These bike improvements are the first of the village’s bike plan, which was approved in September 2008. The 10-year implementation plan calls for 32 miles of on-street bike facilities, which would be nearly 30 percent of Oak Park’s roads.

Oak Park’s Director of Public Works John Wielebnicki told ModeShift that design for the bikeways will begin this spring or summer and residents should see those lovely stripes later this year.

Active Trans worked with Oak Park last year to approve its bike plan, which has helped secure the funds for these exciting projects.

“Once we had the plan and the projects identified and costs established, we were able to put together beneficial projects…that fit nicely with the federal funding programs that support pedestrian and bike infrastructure,” Wielebnicki told us.

The bikeways are funded through the federal Congestions Mitigation and Air Quality program. The Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program funded the wayfinding project.