Sioux City celebrates opening its first bicycle lanes

Earl Horlyk
Thu September 17 2020
Posted Sep 27, 2020
2,197

Located between Fairmount and Rustin streets, Sioux City's first bicycle lane officially opened on Thursday and avid cyclist Ron Begnoche was ecstatic.

"Hopefully, this will encourage people to bike instead of driving a car," Begnoche, ride coordinator with the Siouxland Cyclists, said before going for a ride.

However, longtime cyclist Bob DeSmidt noted Sioux City was by far the largest community in Iowa that didn't have bicycle lanes.

"We've definitely needed one for a very long time," he said.

Mayor Pro-Tem Dan Moore was in complete agreement.

"Increasingly, bike trails and bike lanes are quality of life considerations," Moore said. "When people consider moving, they often ask how bike-friendly a city is."

This is why the council decided to add bike lanes as part of the city's Leech Avenue Reconstruction Project. In addition to bike lanes, the first phase of the $1.3 million project included replacing all street pavings, sidewalks, driveway entrances, water mains, sanitary sewers and storm sewers from South Fairmount Street to South Rustin Street.

The next phase of this project will continue these reconstructions along South Rustin St. to Leech Avenue to Dodge Avenue in fiscal 2023, followed by Dodge from South Rustin to South Cecilia Street in fiscal 2024 and, finally, South Cecilia to Dodge to Morningside Avenue, slated for completion in fiscal 2025.

Each of these projects are expected to include bike lanes, as well as other reconstruction improvements, Moore said.

Begnoche is simply happy that the new bike lane means progress for cyclists like himself.

"Sioux City will soon open its second lane (on a resurfaced part of Riverside Boulevard., which is slated to open this fall) and that is a step in the right direction," he said. "Cycling is a such a family-friendly activity that we should make it as accessible for as many people as possible."