Pedestrian and Biking Improvement Projects

The Urban Road Maintenance District (URMD) funds small-scale pedestrian and biking improvement projects, including sidewalks, pathways and bike lanes. Since 2011, 74 URMD Pedestrian & Biking Improvement Projects totaling over $33 million have been funded.

To be eligible, a proposal must:

• Improve a specific pedestrian or biking safety concern
• Address a connectivity need (fill in a pedestrian or biking gap)
• Be located within the URMD
• Not already be on the proposal list

If you have a suggestion for an improvement, you can submit it to be added to be reviewed and added to the proposal map. Proposals are reviewed when funding becomes available within the URMD Pedestrian and Biking Improvement Program.

The Urban Road Maintenance District Advisory Committee (URMDAC) reviews the proposal list every other year to identify projects for funding for the next two fiscal years. You will be given an opportunity to comment to help inform URMDAC on their recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners for funding approval.

The URMD Pedestrian and Biking Improvements Map features all improvement proposals, as well as funded projects.

Pedestrian & Biking Improvement Project Funding

The Pedestrian & Biking Improvement (PBI) Projects program will continue as funding allows. The program's size was reduced in 2023. Less money is available for projects than we had previously.

The URMD’s primary mission is to maintain neighborhood streets in urban areas outside cities. Voters approved URMD in 1987 to improve and maintain neighborhood streets to ‘fair or better’ condition. That goal was realized around 2010. Rising property values increased revenue, and URMD was able to start funding PBI projects.

Now the URMD budget is limited. Revenues are not keeping up with rising street maintenance costs. To prioritize maintenance, we need to reduce PBI funding.

This is not unexpected. We knew the PBI program would need to scale back to keep up with increasing maintenance needs, but we have funded more projects than we estimated 12 years ago.

We continue making URMD streets safer and more accessible for all travelers. In addition to the PBI program, this includes:

• Curb ramp upgrades: These upgrades ensure accessibility for people living with disabilities, consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). 
• Neighborhood Streets Program: This helps address traffic safety concerns.
• Sidewalk Repair Grant Program pilot: This will offer financial help to property owners for sidewalk repairs and replacements that address safety hazards.

Recent URMD Pedestrian and Biking Improvement Projects

FY 2022-23 and FY 2023-24 Funded Projects (planning phase)

Pedestrian Crossings:

• 185th Avenue and Ewen Drive
• 185th Avenue and Pike Street
• Beef Bend Road and Peachtree Drive
• Bethany Boulevard and Mitchell Avenue
• Garden Home Boulevard and 84th Avenue
• Kaiser Road and 147th
• Laidlaw Road and Waterhouse Trail

Sidewalks:

• 188th Avenue
• 195th Avenue
• Ewen Drive and Augusta Lane
• Greenwood Drive
• Huntington Avenue

FY 2020-21 and FY 2021-22 Funded Projects (in design or construction phase)

• 74th Avenue, sidewalk (CPO 3)
• 139th Avenue, sidewalk (CPO 1)
• 170th Avenue, pedestrian crossing (CPO 6) 
• 174th Avenue South, sidewalk (CPO 7) 
• 174th Avenue North, sidewalk (CPO 7) 
• 192nd Avenue, sidewalk (CPO 6) 
• Alden Street, sidewalk (CPO 3) 
• Blanton Street, sidewalk (CPO 6) 
• Downing Street-Butner Road, sidewalk (CPO 1) 
• Filbert Street, sidewalk (CPO 1) 
• Meadow Drive, sidewalk (CPO 1) 
• Miller Hill Road, sidewalk (CPO 6), identified as an alternate project
• Park Way, sidewalk (CPO 1) 
• Scholls Ferry Road, pedestrian crossing (CPO 3)