Efforts to make the city of Gary more friendly to bicyclists and pedestrians continue to move forward. The Gary Plan Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan this Thursday.
The draft plan includes a number of trail projects that are already proposed or underway, like filling in the remaining gaps of the Marquette Greenway Trail and the Little Calumet River Levee Trail. The proposed Gary Elevate project would convert an abandoned elevated railroad right of way into a 3.8-mile multi-use trail through the city's Midtown area.
But the plan also proposes a network of bike routes and "living streets" to improve mobility throughout the city. Parts of Chase, Clay, Colfax and County Line Road could get bike routes. The entire Broadway corridor is proposed for "living streets" improvements like better sidewalks, crossings and lighting, while a separate bike route would avoid the busy interchange at I-80/94. 4th and 5th Avenues would both become two-way streets, with 4th Avenue dedicated to truck traffic and 5th Avenue getting pedestrian safety upgrades.
The draft plan suggests starting with small, temporary improvements like signs and pavement markings. If successful, they could evolve into protected bike lanes and other larger investments.
More than 400 resident surveys were received as part of the process, with many of them expressing concerns about personal safety, the disrepair of sidewalks and roads, and a lack of connectivity.
