The TPO was selected by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to host a training on how to use the new workbook, Incorporating On-Road Bicycle Networks into Resurfacing Projects.

This is part of an effort to integrate more bikeways through regular pavement preservation projects. Forty-five engineers, designers, and planners from across the state attended this training on April 18, 2017. FHWA sent two instructors, Thomas Huber and Eric Mongelli PE from Toole Design Group, to lead the workshop.

The course covered the use of different approaches to repurposing roadway space and addressing internal processes that can be incorporated into the decision-making process. Presenters used case studies from their work around the country along with local examples. They then led participants through a guided exercise to help them develop their own step-by-step processes for incorporating bicycle facilities into resurfacing projects. There was also a discussion about existing barriers that prevent these safety improvements from being included in resurfacing projects. In post-evaluations, attendees cited this discussion as the most beneficial part of the workshop.

Participants walked to two nearby roads, Middlebrook Pike and Liberty Street, and then worked in small groups to propose ways to re-design the roadway, incorporating what they had learned from the workshop. All four small groups came up with either lane or road diets that made it possible to add bike lanes to the roadways.