Initial plans for a bus, bike, and pedestrian project along Frederick’s Golden Mile are expected to be ready for public review by early next year.
The project would build a bus-only lane and a 10-foot shared-use path along the northern edge of the westbound lanes of West Patrick Street, stretching about 1.25 miles from just west of Baughman’s Lane to Waverley Drive.
The project reached 30% design a few months ago, and should reach 60% design early in 2024, said Shraddha Praharaj, a traffic engineer with the city of Frederick working on the project.
Once that point is reached, the city will begin working on public outreach for the project, she said.
Because U.S. 40, known as West Patrick Street, is a state-operated road, Maryland’s State Highway Administration will take the lead in the project’s construction, according to a page for the project on the city’s website.
Final design for the project is expected to cost $858,000 and the estimated cost of construction is $4.6 million, according to the website.
A media contact for the State Highway Administration referred questions Wednesday to the city.
The stretch of West Patrick Street from U.S. 15 to Waverley Drive is the busiest surface road in the city, used by more than 48,000 vehicles a day, according to the city website.
“Unfortunately, as it is currently designed, West Patrick Street in the Golden Mile is an unwelcoming place for anyone who is not in a car,” according to the website. “For people who are on foot or on a bike, it is a wide, noisy, and fast-moving road.”
Transit buses currently go in and out of each shopping center along the road, which is not an optimal use for them, Praharaj said.
Shantay DeMar, president of the Golden Mile Alliance, said Wednesday that the project would help people in the area get around.
The shared-use path would make it safer for walkers, which would also help businesses in the area, he said.
Anything else to help people move around the area would be a benefit, DeMar said.
The alliance, a combination of city officials, business owners, and residents from the area, is also working on a request for an elevated walkway to help people cross over busy West Patrick Street, he said.