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Cyclists ride safer on Diagonal

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Contributed by: Kathryn Richert/YourHub.com on 6/9/2008

A gap has been bridged for bicyclists riding northbound along the Diagonal, Colorado 119, near Longmont.

A 150-foot-long bikeway bridge was recently completed along a stretch of rode where bikers previously didn't have a bike lane or shoulder to ride in.

Although most of the highway has a 6-to-8-foot shoulder, the stretch south of Longmont and north of Airport Road where the Diagonal crosses Left Hand Creek was dangerous for riders who previously had to ride alongside cars traveling 55 mph, said Tim Swope, alternative transportation coordinator for Boulder County.

"The biggest improvement is the safety for people who are using that for bicycling," Swope said.

The new bridge, a Boulder County project, links directly to the Diagonal northbound bike shoulder to allow Longmont-bound cyclists to avoid the narrow highway rode altogether and cross safely over Left Hand Creek.

Bike riders have been requesting a change for years, Swope said, adding that the county has been lucky there haven't been more serious bicycle accidents along the stretch.

There have been two or three serious bicycle accidents along the Diagonal in the past five years, a small number considering there are more than 100,000 people who travel the road daily, Swope said.

The bridge cost approximately $245,000 and was funded through a combination of federal funds and county transportation sales taxes, approved by voters in 2001.

The bridge is part of a larger Colorado 119 Bikeway Project, which hopes to create a continuous bikeway between Boulder, Gunbarrel, Niwot and Longmont.

Other bikeway project improvements yet to be constructed include moving a pedestrian signal island so cyclists won't have to ride in traffic at the Colorado 52 intersection and a new railroad underpass at Four Mile Creek in Boulder.

The total for all three improvement projects are expected to cost about $800,000.

Boulder County also is planning a Longmont-to-Boulder trail for pedestrians and bicycle commuters seeking a quieter commute.

Improving routes for bikes will not only encourage people to ditch their cars, but it also will improve traffic flow because cars won't have to weave around cyclists along the Diagonal, Swope said.

"The more we focus on these major connections, the more people will ride and we'll remove the barrier for people who wouldn't ride their bikes because safety issues kept them from doing it," Swope said.

For more information, go to www.bouldercounty.org/transportation.

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Submitted By: Ralph Dosser

posted on 6/9/2008 @ 6:35:20 PM

Rated Story

This is a wondeful thing! I only tried to bicycle this stretch once. You have to stop and look behind you for traffic to stop - and it's on a bend, so your visibility is limited. Once you get a gap, you pedal like hell to get across that bridge before any new traffic arrives. It damn near gave me a heart attack. Good job Boulder County. I can't wait to see the rest of that greenway built.

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