Ann Arbor plans to extend the Division Street bikeway north to the Broadway Bridge, with construction targeted for spring and summer 2027.

The project, advanced by the city and the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), would continue the existing two-way protected cycle track from its current endpoint near Community High School at Catherine Street across the Huron River, according to the city's project page. Riders crossing the bridge could continue to Plymouth Road, where additional improvements are also proposed.

The extension would reshape traffic on the bridge. The Broadway Bridge section would drop from four car lanes to three, with a center turn lane and one travel lane in each direction, MLive reported. North of Catherine Street, the design was revised to keep two northbound travel lanes at the Ann Arbor Fire Department's request.

Final engineering and design are scheduled through November, with the project going out to bid in January. The work will be coordinated with the city's plan to install a new water main and resurface Division from Catherine to the south end of the Broadway Bridge in 2027.

DDA expansion unlocked the project

The extension became possible after the Ann Arbor City Council voted unanimously on April 20 to expand the DDA's boundary 19 blocks to the north. It was the authority's first boundary expansion since its creation in 1982. The bikeway extension is listed among the DDA's priority projects for the next five years.

"There are significant opportunities to do a lot of good, now and in the future," DDA Executive Director Maura Thomson said in the city's April 21 press release announcing the expansion.

Ann Arbor's experience with protected bikeways offers some context. The William Street Bikeway, completed in 2019 as the city's first two-way protected facility, saw visits to the surrounding area increase 30% and severe crashes drop 41%, according to the DDA.

Residents raise lane-reduction concerns

Not all residents support the plan. Old Fourth Ward resident Jeff Crockett circulated a petition titled "Don't Remove Traffic Lanes on North Division & the Broadway Bridges!" on the Ann Arbor Politics Facebook page on Sept. 4, according to MLive. He raised concerns about downsizing what he described as an already-congested thoroughfare.

Resident Sam Homan also raised safety concerns about the existing bikeway's counter-flow design on the same Facebook page in September, calling the extension a "bridge too far."

Advocacy group Walk Bike Washtenaw on Sept. 11 urged supporters to share feedback with city leaders and attend an upcoming open house, according to MLive.

How to weigh in

City and DDA staff held walking tours of the extension route on Aug. 25 and Sept. 11. Draft conceptual diagrams and a walking tour handout are available on the project website.

An informational open house is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 23, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the DDA offices in Kerrytown.