AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Transportation Department is hosting an open house Tuesday seeking community feedback on changes to improve safety and mobility at St. Johns Avenue from North Lamar Boulevard to Berkman Drive.

Transportation officials are proposing protected bicycle lanes and improved pedestrian crossings on St. Johns Avenue which would include establishing a link in a broader, planned east-west bicycle route from St. Johns Avenue to Far West Boulevard. 

Other proposed changes include:

• Upgrading existing painted bicycle lanes to protected bicycle lanes. This project proposes to remove the center turn lane in sections with lower turn volumes to create space for the protected bicycle lanes. This proposal would keep the center turn lane where higher turn volumes exist.
• Adding parking restriction signs to prevent parking in bicycle lanes.
• Improvements to pedestrian crossings along St. Johns Avenue at Northcrest Boulevard, Webb Middle School, Roland Johnson Drive, Bethune Avenue, Providence Avenue, Meador Avenue, and Grand Canyon Drive.
• Possible consolidation of bus stops to improve transit operations, locating stops closer to proposed pedestrian crossings.
• Connection to future improvements at the St. Johns Avenue and North Lamar Boulevard intersection as part of the 2016 Mobility Bond-funded Intersection Safety/Vision Zero improvement project.

Tuesday’s open house will take place at the Virginia L. Brown Recreation Center from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Funding for this project is available from the 2016 Mobility Bond’s Bikeways and Safe Routes to School programs, the 2018 Bond Pedestrian Crossing program, and Capital Metro, according to a news release.