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Iowa City approves protected bike lane pilot on Dodge and Governor streets with $150,000 estimate
Summary
Council authorized a pilot to upgrade buffered bike lanes on Dodge and Governor streets to protected lanes with flexible bollards, a floating bus stop and green markings; bids are due July 7 and construction is expected in August–September 2026.
The Iowa City Council approved a pilot project to upgrade existing buffered bike lanes on the Dodge–Governor one‑way pair to protected bike lanes, city staff announced at a public hearing.
Senior engineer Aline Dumaki described the pilot’s scope: flexible delineator bollards that physically separate cyclists from vehicle traffic, low‑profile curbing to reduce encroachment, a floating bus‑stop configuration to allow safe boardings without blocking the bike lane, and green lane markings. The city expects to take bids through July 7, award a contract July 14 and complete construction in August–September 2026. The estimated construction cost is $150,000.
Council members probed maintenance and winter operations, how bollards hold up to strikes, and how snow‑removal would function. Dumaki said the protected lanes are intended to remain year‑round; maintenance—street sweeping, snow plowing, trash collection and replacement of delineators—will be coordinated across streets, parks, resource management and transportation services. Staff said they will order spare bollards and that floating bus‑stop modules can be shortened or repaired in pieces if tiles are damaged.
Staff also said the pilot is intended to remain at least a year to gather operational metrics and public feedback. City manager Jeff Ruan and project staff said the pilot’s operational success will be gauged by internal maintenance metrics (frequency of bollard replacement, staff time and snow‑removal effort), transit functionality at floating bus stops, and feedback from the bicycling community.
Council members asked whether the protected lanes would be removed for the planned Dodge Street reconstruction (currently scheduled for 2028). Dumaki said the bollards are intended to be removable and could be reinstalled after reconstruction. The council voted 7–0 to approve the project manual and to direct the clerk to post the notice to bidders.
The city said if the pilot proves successful, officials could expand protected corridors to Market Street, Jefferson Street and eventually create a continuous protected route toward Madison Avenue and across town.
