Cyclists, motorists now can share lane on Jones Boulevard
The recently completed $5.9 million upgrade of a 2-mile stretch of Jones Boulevard features a bike safety measure some drivers might not be aware of.
A portion of the project, running from just before Washington Avenue to Smoke Ranch Road, features a “sharrow” — a shared lane where cyclists and motorists coexist on roads with a speed limit of 35 mph or less, according to Tony Illia, Nevada Department of Transportation spokesman.
“Primarily, it’s a positioning tool that lets cyclists know where to ride to avoid vehicles passing too closely and car doors being flung open,” Illia said. “The sharrow is also meant to help cyclists stick to recommended bike routes, avoid wrong-way riding, and find gaps where a bike lane might temporarily disappear.”
Motorists and cyclists should look for the sharrow markings, which includes a pair of arrows pointing in the direction of travel with a bicycle symbol before it.
Sharrows are not a replacement for bicycle lanes but are used where constrained roadway widths exist and there is no right-of-way to install dedicated bicycle facilities, Illia said.
Sharrows are also meant to alert drivers to bikes, in theory encouraging them to move to the left to safely pass a cyclist.
Shared lanes were first used in Denver in the 1990s, but the word sharrow (a combination of “share” and “arrow”) was coined in San Francisco in the early 2000s.
The term has been included in the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices — the traffic engineer’s bible — since 2009, Illia said.
According to FHWA, multiple studies found sharrows increase the distance motorists pass bicyclists, reduce wrong-way riding and reduce the number of bicyclists riding on the sidewalk.
A 2010 FHWA study revealed cyclists had more space to maneuver after sharrows were installed on roads in Seattle, Cambridge, Mass., and Chapel Hill, N.C.
Reno and Elko have been using sharrows for several years, with Carson City recently adding them to some roads, Illia said.
The Jones Boulevard project also included a complete roadway rejuvenation, with removal of the existing paving and repaving of the surface with new asphalt for smoother, safer driving conditions.
Other improvements were aimed at increasing safety for pedestrians in the area, with handicap accessible curb and gutter upgrades and the addition of pedestrian-activated crosswalks at Carmen Boulevard, Carl Avenue, and Eugene Avenue.
US 95 viaduct info meeting
The public is encouraged to participate in a two-week-long virtual information meeting regarding the U.S. Highway 95 viaduct rehabilitation project.
The 50-year-old U.S. 95 viaduct downtown is set for a $40 million refurbishing between the Spaghetti Bowl and Eastern Avenue, according to NDOT.
Planned improvements include deck repairs including the addition of a new pavement overlay, ramp hinge replacements and seismic retrofits. U.S. 95 will also be restriped to provide an additional southbound travel lane from Interstate 15 to Eastern Avenue as well as the replacement of Interstate 515 over Eastern Avenue and Desert Inn Road bridges.
Construction is slated to begin in the spring with completion anticipated by mid-2022.
The online project meeting can be found at www.i515Project.com and will be live 24/7 for 14 days from Tuesday through Feb. 16.
“The site will explain why the project is needed as well as project goals and benefits,” said Illia. “The public is encouraged to search the virtual public meeting room, learn more about the project, download materials, watch a project presentation, and submit their comments and questions to the project team.”
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter. Send questions and comments to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com.