Pennsylvania Avenue bikes lanes now officially open

On a day that the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced a joint notice of funding availability to stream the funding process for projects that combine residential and transportation components,  leaders from the District of Columbia, the US Congress and the Secretary of Transportation came to together to mark the official opening of the bike lanes on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Although it has been a bumpy road to get to this point, the lanes are a fantastic symbol that bicycling is a integral component of our transportation system. This is America’s Main Street — and now bicyclists have been welcomed.

DC Council Members Tommy Wells and Jack Evans, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, and US Congressmen Earl Blumenauer and James Oberstar cut the ribbon on the new Pennsylvania Avenue bike lanes (photo by League of American Bicyclists)

Click here to view the event’s photo gallery.

UPDATE: check out more coverage at BikePortland and the Secretary’s Fast Lane Blog.