The Unstoppable Bike Boulevard

Rio Grande and MLK, facing north (Photo by Jana Birchum)

Now that the Downtown Bicycle Boulevard has gone through the city's boards and commissions without a bump, as well as a City Council briefing with nary an objection from the dais, it can roll on to fruition. Annick Beaudet, who heads up the city's bicycle program, says the city will contact relevant stakeholders later this summer to talk about landscaping and phasing in the changes to Rio Grande (the first part of the two-street project, with Nueces being the other), and then the city should break ground this winter. Some Downtown property owners remain opposed, but the League of Bicycling Voters – which wanted more on Nueces – has finally expressed conditional support: "With nothing able to be done for at least a couple of years on Nueces, we feel it's important to move ahead and get these much-needed improvements in on Rio Grande now and look at the benefits before weighing in again on Nueces," said LOBV's Rob D'Amico in a press release. "Additionally, there's a planning effort underway for West Campus bicycle facilities, and we'd like to see where that effort goes and how connectivity will work so we know how Nueces plays into the overall picture."