COLUMBIA — Cooperation between GetAbout Columbia and Boone Hospital Center will create a series of new bicycle and pedestrian corridors throughout northern Columbia.
"It has been identified as a priority project," said Steve Meyer of GetAbout Columbia. The city is currently looking at the project's viability, and costs and funding have yet to be determined, Meyer said.
Though there is no finished design yet, Meyer said a possible location for one of the corridors is along East Walnut Street between North William Street and Old 63 North.
That area is one the residents of Benton-Stephens are eager to see finished.
"It is busy with pedestrian traffic walking to Stephens Lake," said Kip Kendrick, president of the Benton-Stephens Neighborhood Association. "It is very dangerous with nowhere to safely walk."
Meyer said the stretch between William Street and Old 63 North is important, and project organizers are considering a crossing between Walnut Street and Stephens Lake Park.
From there, the possibilities are open and other locations are still being considered, Meyer said.
Also under consideration is the type of corridor that will be created. The final plan could incorporate pedways, sidewalks, lane markings or a combination of the three in downtown areas.
The project is still in its early stages, Meyer said. The design is unfinished, and there is no anticipated date for a final design.
Kendrick said the lack of safe routes for pedestrians and cyclists has been an ongoing issue.
"No sidewalk has been an issue for a number of years," he said.