JACKSON, Wyo. — New to East Jackson this summer is a protected bike lane that extends from the bollard-buffered lanes on Snow King Avenue all the way down Willow Street.
Known as the Willow Street Safe Routes Project, the route will end at Jackson Elementary School and the Rec Center and is slated to be complete by Friday, May 27, although weather may impact that timeline.
The new route will include bollards, striping and signage to create safe and accessible bike lanes annually from early May to mid-October. The buffered bike lanes will be installed on both sides of Willow Street with a single buffered lane on the south side of Snow King for eastbound cyclists.
In peak summer, it is estimated that about 1,000 trips a day are made on Snow King Avenue by people on bikes.
According to the town, the goal of the project is to improve safety and mobility for people on bikes and bring cycling access up to an equal level with motor vehicle access on at least one corridor in the Town of Jackson.
The Snow King and Willow corridor has long been identified as the primary route because it provides connectivity to a variety of key destinations along the route, including schools, recreational destinations, and links to the Town of Jackson/Teton County Pathways system, says the town.
The project was approved unanimously by the Jackson Town Council in March. The project was identified as early as 1993 in transportation planning documents.
“This important project will help kids get to school and summer camps safely and will give our residents an additional safe option for how they get around town during the busy summer season,” Jackson Town Councilmember Jim Rooks said. “The Snow King Avenue/Willow Street corridor is a critical link in our transportation network for all modes of travel, and the new bike lanes will open up a safe way for people on bikes to get to key destinations like the Rec Center, Jackson Elementary School, the new Genevieve block green space, Snow King Mountain, Phil Baux Park, the Rodeo Grounds, Teton County Library and on to Garaman Pathway and the larger pathway system.”
