Bicycle lovers can get excited about the prospect of having more bike paths in Urbana. After finishing up the bike lane project on Philo Road, the city of Urbana plans on creating a multi-use path on High Cross Road starting in a month.

Bill Gray, public works director and board member of the bicycle and pedestrian advisory commission, said the new project will start at Windsor and High Cross roads and continue along the Stone Creek subdivision where an eight-foot, multi-use path will be created for walking, biking and rollerblading.

Brandon Bowersox, chair for the commission, said the project will allow residents to navigate across town using the path. Once completed, the bike path will stretch from Windsor Road to University Avenue.

“It is one more critical bike and pedestrian connection around our city,” Bowersox said. “This will be part of a north-south connection.”

Gray said the High Cross Road project will cost a total of $800,000, with $558,000 of the money coming from an Illinois Department of Transportation grant. The rest of the funds are coming from Urbana’s capital improvement plan, he said.

Barry Isralewitz, co-founder of The Bike Project of Urbana-Champaign, said the area has been named a bronze bicycle community by the League of American Bicyclists based on its bicycling lanes, facilities, safety, parking and other accommodations for cyclists.

“We want to get more bikes out there, making the bicycle a more reliable way of transportation,” he said. “It gives people the confidence to bicycle more.”

In the bike world, there is a stark difference between a bike path and a bike lane because of their different proximity to car traffic.

Bowersox said bike lanes are painted lanes on the street, usually on the right-hand side of the road near the curb. This space is meant for bikes and especially for adult cyclists who are comfortable riding with traffic. Bike paths, however, have enough space for everybody because the path can be used to walk your dog or ride your bike, he said.

“(Bike paths) are a safe space away from the road,” Bowersox said.

He said a few years ago, a cyclist was killed while riding on the shoulder of High Cross Road when a motorist got distracted and struck him. Bowersox added that he hopes these paths will increase safety in and around the city.

The project on Philo Road between Florida Avenue and Washington Street consisted of widening the pavement, painting bike symbols on the road and including bike lanes on either side of the street. The overhaul cost the city $50,000 and was funded by general funds from the capital improvement plan as well.

Gray said the league has also named the city a bike friendly community.

“There have been notable strides in providing more facilities for bicyclists,” Gray said.