City of Urbana public works staff told the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission on Sept. 16 that federal demonstration funding will let the city temporarily reconfigure North Lincoln Avenue between Washer and Killarney from four lanes to three, add on-street bike lanes and collect data to inform a final design.

The demonstration, funded through an SS4A demonstration grant administered via the regional planning commission and FHWA, will be limited to striping and temporary traffic control. “The biggest catch with the demonstration grant is we cannot build any permanent facilities so we can be striped the roadway. We can't fix any of the pedestrian problems,” consultant Cindy Loes said, describing the limits of what the demonstration money allows. Justin Swinford, assistant city engineer, said FHWA awarded a demonstration grant that expands the study phase to test the configuration before full implementation.

The demonstration cross-section discussed would use three 11-foot vehicle lanes (one center two-way left-turn lane) with bike lanes in the remaining space and existing sidewalks left as-is. Staff and the consultant emphasized that permanent improvements — curb work, Americans with Disabilities Act ramp upgrades and new sidewalks — are not permitted by the demonstration funds and would be part of a later construction phase should the city pursue permanent changes.

Supporters on the commission and members of the public cited safety and access benefits, especially for students and people walking to King Park. “This is a pragmatic experiment,” one commissioner said, noting the low cost and the value of testing change before permanent construction. Staff described a data-collection plan that includes pedestrian and bicycle counts, crash data analysis, Bluetooth-based travel-pattern data for adjacent corridors and user surveys on buses and at bus stops to compare conditions before, during and after the demonstration.

IDOT and FHWA involvement was highlighted as a constraint on keeping temporary striping permanent without a separate approval and final construction. Staff said the demonstration will be short-term — about 60 to 90 days during a student semester — and that the city must revert the striping to four lanes at the end of the demonstration before pursuing permanent construction, which staff hopes to build in 2027 or 2028 if funding and design approvals align.

BPAC members asked detailed questions about bus stop relocations, sight distance at left turns, signal timing and whether a multiuse path (a wider off-street path) would be preferable to on-street bike lanes. Staff said a multiuse path would require right-of-way expansion, utility coordination with Ameren and likely land acquisition.

After discussion, a member moved that the committee express support for the plans “as they are currently taking shape.” The motion was seconded and passed by voice vote.

Staff said they will return to BPAC with public information materials and a formal public meeting after the demonstration and again for the final-build alternatives. The demonstration agreement with FHWA and the RPC remains pending an amendment; staff said they will follow up with the FHWA contact weekly to secure final authorization to proceed.

The commission recorded the endorsement in its minutes and asked staff to include BPAC support in grant applications for future phases.