Bike news: Union to be restriped, City releases first-ever bike route map

For the many among us who take back roads to avoid turning left on Union Avenue, the day of reckoning has come.

Memphis is one of 14 Tennessee communities to receive a Multimodal Access Grant from the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). The grant is valued at $950,000 and will cover reconfiguration of roadway striping to add bike lanes and a two-way left-turn lane; nearly 1,700 feet of repair, replacement and widening of sidewalk panels; installation of ADA curb ramps; upgrades to pedestrian crossing signals, crosswalks and refuge islands; and relocation of transit shelters, according to the TDOT website.

Memphis will have to come up with $50,000, or 5 percent of the total $1,000,000 project.

The affected stretch of Union Ave. will be between Marshall and Pauline and likely won’t see construction for two or three years, the Memphis Flyer reported.

"Our responsibilities as a transportation agency go far beyond building roads and bridges," TDOT Commissioner John Schroer said in a release. "Providing safe access for different modes of transportation ultimately creates a more complete and diverse network for our users. These projects are also extremely cost effective, which allows TDOT to make improvements in more areas across the state."

Until the bike lanes at Union are realized, Memphis cyclers can find alternate routes using the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau's first-ever map of the city's bike-friendly paths. The Memphis and Shelby County Bike Map also highlights bike repair shops, farmers markets, libraries and other attractions in the area.