Bike sign project marks lanes, distances for Everett cyclists

EVERETT — New bike wayfinding signs and markings are popping up across Everett.

The signs, paid for as part of a $373,000 state Department of Transportation grant, were initially supposed to be in place last fall. But the project was delayed to spring. It is expected to be completed by the end of May and includes a total of 218 signs.

The signs help bikers stay on established bicycle routes. They have other benefits, too.

“Wayfinding helps familiarize users with the network and identifies best routes and distances to destinations within the bike network,” Everett spokesperson Kathleen Baxter wrote in an email.

In total, the signs will cover 28 miles of bike lanes. The signs also help motorists know the roads they’re driving on are bike lanes.

The green-and-white signs have a bike on them, as well as an arrow with a distance letting people know how far they are from landmarks throughout the city. Construction of the signs and lane markings may briefly close lanes for installation and painting.

Some of the bike routes intersect with some of Everett’s busiest streets for cars.

At Colby Avenue and 41st Street, for example, the crosswalks were striped green and white. Up the street, along the east side of the much quieter Forest Park, crews repainted part of Elk Hill Drive with a green bike lane.

According to the city, Everett has 12.6 miles of bikeable trails, 8.2 miles of side paths, 7.7 miles of bike boulevards and almost 53 miles of bike lanes. The city added 24 miles of bike-friendly improvements between 2011 and 2020.

The city also has a Bicycle Master Plan and is considered a bicycle-friendly community by the League of American Bicyclists, reaching the league’s bronze level of awards.

The project’s budget is $415,000, with 90% of that being covered by a state grant from 2021, Baxter wrote.

Jordan Hansen: 425-339-3046; jordan.hansen@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @jordyhansen.