A prominent side street in The Heights will get a major bike-related facelift later this year, as Jersey City has greenlit a plan that will also slightly revamp traffic circulation.
Jersey City’s Council recently voted 8-1 to approve a new bike lane on Franklin Street. The city was awarded a New Jersey Department of Transportation Bikeways Grant to construct a two-way protected bikeway between Palisade Avenue and Central Avenue.
The project also includes a protected bikeway connection on Central Avenue to improve safe access to Pershing Field Park for cyclists. Several features designed to enhance pedestrian safety, such as concrete curb extensions, refreshed high-visibility crosswalks, and school zone markings, are included in the plan, which was formally presented to the community earlier this year.
As part of the design, Franklin Street will be converted to a westbound one-way street between Palisade Avenue and Central Avenue, with eastbound traffic accommodated on nearby parallel streets.
The protected bike lane on Franklin Street will be the first of its kind in The Heights when completed, as many of Jersey City’s protected bike lanes are found in Downtown neighborhoods. Contracts for the work will be awarded by the city in June, with construction of the lane anticipated to begin in the fall later this year.
