Commissioner Diaz applauds Crandon Boulevard bicycle safety improvements

(MIAMI) – A year after Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz sponsored legislation calling for safety measures for bicyclists on the road leading to Key Biscayne, County crews will begin tonight a five-month road resurfacing and bike lane-widening project along Crandon Boulevard between Bear Cut Bridge and the Village of Key Biscayne.  The new bike lanes, which will be painted bright green, will be separated from vehicular traffic by a two-foot-wide striped buffer zone bounded by vibratory pavement markings similar to those recently installed along the Bear Cut and William Powell bridge bike lanes along the Rickenbacker Causeway.

The improvements  follow a number of hit-and-run cyclist fatalities on the roadway over the last several years that have prompted numerous calls for safety improvements. 

“These improvements are a must to keep our cyclists safe after the tragic death of too many cyclists in our community like Aaron Cohen and others,” Commissioner Diaz said. “I know these improvements will save lives.”

Commissioner Diaz has been a strong advocate for safer roadways. In addition to successfully lobbying state legislators to toughen penalties for hit-and-run drivers, he has sponsored several resolutions to improve safety on the Rickenbacker Causeway and other Miami roads.

The project is expected to be completed in December 2015, weather permitting, and will allow for one vehicular lane and one bicycle lane to remain open at all times in either direction. The work is scheduled to take place weekdays from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.