4th and 5th Street Project

4th and 5th Street Bike Lanes and Pilot Project Are Under Threat AGAIN

After the GJ City Council workshop on Monday August 4th, 2025, Council is proposing that the bike lanes south of Ouray on 4th and 5th be removed and for these streets to be completely reverted to their two-lane state prior to the Pilot Project. Their rationale was the cost ($250,000) for changing the streets to two lanes with a bike lane - a compromise that was agreed upon at the May 31st City Council Meeting. This is because it would involve removing concrete curbs, which is costly and time-consuming.

At the workshop on August 4th, there was no discussion of the City’s “2.0” compromise south of Grand (one lane, with the bike lane between the car lane and parking), which would probably be about the same cost as the two-lane alternative, and it would be much safer because it does not involve removing concrete and it keeps the speeds low with one lane for car traffic.

This would mean two lanes of vehicle traffic and no bike lines south of Grand on 4th and 5th. As an organization, GVSA plans to continue advocating for the pilot project to be completed as originally designed.

The cheapest and safest alternative to this new proposal would be to move forward with the Pilot Project as originally planned: one driving lane, one bike lane, and right side parking.

In response, we are asking our members to write to the City Council to voice their concerns and submit public comments during the next two City Council Meetings regarding this sudden and unexpected change.

City Council Meetings:

Wednesday August 6th at 5:30 pm in City Hall
Wednesday August 20th at 5:30 pm in City Hall

If you are attending to submit a public comment, please arrive about 15 minutes early to add your name to the list. You will be given three minutes to speak. If you are unsure of what to say, you are welcome to read the following script during your comment:

My name is [Insert Name] and I live in [Insert Neighborhood]. I would like to thank the Council for the opportunity to speak to you about active transportation. As a resident of Grand Junction, I would like to express my support of the ongoing 4th and 5th Street Pilot Project. We have seen direct benefits from this project and I thank Council for its continued work on it. Reduced speeds, lower noise and quieter neighborhoods, safer streets and an enhanced downtown experience are the results of this work. I do not support the ideas proposed at the August 4th Council Workshop to remove the bike lane, nor do I support adding a driving lane back to the configuration. This decision would be too costly and cause unnecessary construction in our beautiful downtown. Thank you for the opportunity to express my concerns about this important issue.

Writing A Letter:

If you don’t know what to write, we’ve included a prompt that you are welcome to use. Simply copy and paste it into an email and fill in your name at the bottom. Address the email to council@gjcity.org. This will send the email to all the members.

Letter Template:

Dear Grand Junction City Council,

My name is [Insert Name] and I live in [Insert Neighborhood]. I would like to thank the Council for the opportunity to write to you about active transportation. As a resident of Grand Junction, I would like to express my support of the ongoing 4th and 5th Street Pilot Project. We have seen direct benefits from this project and I thank Council for its continued work on it. Reduced speeds, lower noise and quieter neighborhoods, safer streets and an enhanced downtown experience are the results of this work. I do not support the ideas proposed at the August 4th Council Workshop to remove the bike lane, nor do I support adding a driving lane back to the configuration. Thank you for the opportunity to express my concerns about this important issue.

I am writing today as your constituent to implore you not to revert the wonderful changes on 4th and 5th Street back to the pre-pilot configuration. I believe this change would make our downtown far less safe and enjoyable for all road users. The workshop on August 4th indicated that the council is looking into removing the bike lane and adding an additional driving lane.

Removing the bike lane and reverting back to two lanes would increase speeds through our beautiful downtown and as a result encourage more crashes with higher chances of injury or fatality. Additionally, these changes would cost more than simply moving forward with the Pilot plan as it was designed and I do not support unnecessary waste in our City’s spending or causing unnecessary construction in our beautiful downtown area.

Thank you for taking the time to read my email and consider the concerns I’ve set forth as your constituent and as a resident of the amazing city of Grand Junction.

Sincerely,

[Insert Your Name]

We will continue to share information with the public around this scheduled meeting and how you can show up and advocate for multi-modal streets in Grand Junction.