Construction is underway on
a new cycle track on Ferst Drive on Georgia Tech's campus.
image source
The Ferst Drive corridor is a primary, multimodal transportation route through campus. This phased project aims to reimagine the corridor by installing a cycle track originating in Tech Square and running to Tech Parkway. It will also improve access, safety, and connectivity throughout campus.
A cycle track is a dedicated route for cyclists with two lanes for bi-directional travel. The track is often separated from vehicular traffic by curbs or other infrastructure. The cycle track will be installed running along the inner edge of Ferst Drive.
The first phase of work, beginning Dec. 5, will require adjusting the centerline of Ferst Drive from Atlantic Drive west past State Street, The Kendeda Building, and the EcoCommons, through the intersection with Hemphill Avenue, and up to the turf field adjacent to the CRC. Traffic cones, flaggers, and construction signs will indicate how vehicles, cyclists, scooters, and pedestrians can safely navigate Ferst Drive as construction progresses along the route.
Currently, Ferst Drive features individual bike lanes on each side of the roadway where cyclists travel in the same direction as cars. During construction, the bike lanes will be merged with vehicle lanes, creating a shared roadway through the construction zone with “sharrows” (markings on the roadway) indicating this shared condition. This is a temporary measure to allow for the construction of the cycle track.
The plans for a Ferst Drive cycle track originated from a 2019 award-winning Senior Capstone research project completed by an all-female team in the School of Civil Engineering outlining the safety benefits of a cycle track. A subsequent professional feasibility study confirmed the students’ research that a cycle track will improve safety by protecting cyclists from transit buses, preventing cars from parking in bike lanes, and reducing the number of interactions with vehicles at intersections.
The first phase of cycle track construction is expected to last through February 2024. For more information, visit Infrastructure and Sustainability Exterior Environment Projects.
The Ferst Drive Realignment and Cycle Track Project is part of a greater vision for connecting the Georgia Tech campus to the Atlanta BeltLine west of campus. As such, a Ferst Drive Connectivity project aimed at improving connections from Ferst Drive to North Avenue will commence shortly.
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