DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) – Drivers in Durham reached out to CBS 17 wanting to know about green painted sections on the road in downtown on East Main street.
CBS 17’s Felicia Bolton confirmed with Durham that the large green squares are a part of the city’s plan to create bike lanes by the end of this year.
The green squares are called “bike boxes.”
They’re used to create space for bicycles to safely move ahead of vehicle traffic.
There will be a total of eight miles of new bike lanes on various streets. City leaders say they chose the streets based on access, public input and congestion.
“So the bike lanes are a part of efforts to make Durham a more bike-friendly city, improve safety for cyclists. But we also find that the bike lanes improve safety for all roads users, reducing speeding and reducing crashes,” said Durham Senior Transportation Planner Ellen Beckmann.
The budget to create the bike lanes is about $830,000. Beckman says that money is coming from city and federal funds to improve air quality and congestion.
Durham officials said they hope to have everything constructed by the end of this year.
Right now city leaders are finalizing the design and then they have submit the project for bids.
