The University of Maryland will begin construction for bike lane projects on Alumni Drive this summer, a DOTS official said at an open house Thursday.
The event, which took place in Knight Hall, detailed this university’s progress on its Bikeways Project, which aims to increase micromobility routes on campus and make biking safer.
The planned improvements, which are fully funded, are part of this university’s mission to create a “complete street segment,” on Alumni Drive, according to Marta Woldu, the Department of Transportation Services’ assistant director of sustainability initiatives.
The segments are roads that accommodate everyone’s needs, regardless of age, ability or mode of transportation, Woldu explained.
“We have people who take the bus. We have people who get from their car to their destination via wheelchair. We have a number of pedestrians,” Woldu told The Diamondback. “All of this is active and more environmentally friendly modes of transportation, and we need to make sure that our streets are designed for all.”
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The proposed project would include both off-road and on-road bike paths on Alumni Drive. The on-road segment would be buffered from car traffic, Woldu said.
Another part of the project would feature bike and pedestrian paths buffered from traffic with trees between the Cole Student Activities Building and Ludwig Field.
The bike path would have a signalized intersection with the Purple Line bike path at Campus Drive, Woldu said. There would also be separate road crossings for micromobility vehicles, she added.
Creating a buffer between bike lanes and roadways is important to ensuring micromobility users’ safety, Woldu told The Diamondback.
Terps for Bike Lanes president Parisi Fida said she’s excited about the plans. Fida was 15 minutes late to a final exam due to difficulties navigating the turn onto Campus Drive from Lot 1, she explained.
Fida added that she hopes to also see buffers on the Campus Drive bike lane.
“Cyclists feel … uncomfortable being on the line in case they hit pedestrians, which is the entire point of the bike lane being there,” the junior government and politics major said.
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Nick Marks, a senior government and politics and secondary education major, said the preliminary complete street plans made him excited for the future. Marks and other students have spent years advocating for more bike lanes on campus, he said.
“I’m so proud of all the work that everybody has done,” said Marks, the vice president of Terps for Bike Lanes. “It’s now or never to get bike lanes.”
The Alumni Drive Complete Street is projected to be completed by summer 2026, according to Woldu. People will be allowed to pass through the construction area by fall 2025 after a temporary configuration is installed, she said.
“In a few years, [this university] will have a world-class transportation system,” Woldu said. “We are excited about that future and that possibility of seeing an environment where we don’t have to drive to campus.”
