City of Eugene Moves Forward with Bike Lanes on Polk Street

At a meeting on Tuesday, July 14, City of Eugene staff will explain how they made the design decision and preview the upcoming changes.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 8, 2026

CONTACTS: Marion Suitor, City of Eugene Public Works Public Affairs Manager, [email protected], 541-731-0126

In late 2025, the City of Eugene proposed bike lanes along Polk Street from Second Avenue to 18th Avenue, and community members were invited to attend public meetings, take a project survey and share input and feedback about the proposed bike lanes with City Transportation Planning team staff.

This community input—in addition to goals, best practices, operational needs and budget—helped shape the design decision for Polk Street.

Community members are encouraged to attend a community meeting regarding Polk Street from 6 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14, at The Faith Center, 1410 13th Avenue. The meeting will share the results of the Polk Street survey, explain how the City made the design decision, and preview the upcoming changes, which are:

• Install buffered bike lanes and remove on-street parking on Polk Street from 18th Avenue to the alleyway between Sixth and Fifth avenues.
• On-street parking will remain on Polk Street between Second Avenue and Fifth Avenue Alley.
• Repair areas of poor pavement along Polk Street between Second Avenue and 18th Avenue.
• Make minor improvements to the Fern Ridge Path crossing of Polk Street by adding signage, striping, street lighting and potentially removing vegetation to improve sight lines.
• Add neighborhood greenway elements to Polk Street between Second Avenue and Fifth Avenue Alley, potentially including but not limited to sharrows, signage, speed cushions and traffic circles.
• Add parking bays to select areas on Polk Street between Seventh Avenue and 18th Avenue as budget allows.

“Most transportation projects include tradeoffs, and Polk Street was no different” said Catherine Rohan, transportation planner for the City of Eugene. “Removing parking is never an easy decision, but adding bike lanes to Polk Street reflects what we heard from many community members and supports City goals around transportation safety and comfort.”

The Polk Street Bike Lanes Project will now move from the planning phase into the engineering phase, in which project elements will continue to be refined. Simultaneously, staff will work through the administrative process to remove on-street parking. Construction is planned for summer 2027.

The Polk Street project is funded by the 2022 Street Repair Bond and local transportation system development charges.

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