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Cambridge’s bike lane politics are not only contested — they’re also complicated, with a flurry of deadlines, delays, and competing proposals.

Ambitious plans have been on the books since the City Council approved the amended Cycling Safety Ordinance in 2020, requiring the city to install a 25-mile separated bike lane network. But that hardly put an end to the debate.

In April, Cambridge’s City Council voted to postpone the deadline to complete the CSO’s network from May 2026 to November 2027.

Last week — following three cyclist deaths over the past 5 months — they reversed their decision, moving the deadline to November 2026 for three segments: Cambridge Street, Main Street, and Broadway.

Separately, a state commission is working on improvements for a dangerous stretch of Memorial Drive, including constructing an elevated bike path.

Here are the different bike lane projects in progress in Cambridge — and where they all stand.

MassAve4

The Cycling Safety Ordinance identified four segments of Massachusetts Avenue where installing separated bike lanes is challenging due to unique complicating factors, which include the MBTA’s overhead bus wires, the median, and major bus stops.

The four segments of Mass. Ave. include stretches between Dudley and Beech Streets; Roseland and Waterhouse Streets; and Dunster and Plympton Streets. This project also includes the stretch going north between Garden and Church Streets, although that portion is not technically part of Mass. Ave.

Though the City Council recommended in 2022 that all four segments be designed by 2023 and construction begin in 2024, all four remain in the process of soliciting community engagement for the design, with no physical construction having taken place.

The Rest of Mass. Ave

The CSO also calls for construction along the rest of Mass. Ave. from Memorial Drive to Alewife Brook Parkway.

With the exception of a portion of Central Square — from Inman Street to Douglass Street — separated bike lanes have been installed along the rest of the thoroughfare.

The portion of the avenue between Inman and Douglass Streets was granted an exception, and is currently slated to begin construction by Dec. 31, 2025. Still, the project has yet to begin design.

Special4

Four stretches of roads — on Broadway, Cambridge, Hampshire, and Garden Streets — have been designated the “Special4,” which make up a combined 7.49 miles of expected bike lane expansion.

Of the four, Hampshire and Garden Streets have been completed with separated bike lanes. The city has finished small segments of Cambridge Street, and has begun community engagement on design for the rest.

The city has completed small portions of Broadway, but has yet to begin any work on the lion’s share. Both the Broadway and Cambridge Street Projects, under the city’s new policy, are required to be completed by November 2026.

Other Locations

Locations that are not considered part of the other three categories but have been flagged for greater bike lane separation are designated as “Other Locations,” to help the city reach its 25 mile benchmark.

Since 2o2o, the city has completed 7.9 miles of construction on 22 such locations — most prominently on Brattle Street and Huron Avenue, both of which saw over a mile of construction.

Currently, 2.34 miles of bike lane construction is ongoing on Huron Avenue, River Street, and Main Street, with further expansion slated to occur in 2025.

Mass DCR

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation is currently implementing a $1.5 million road safety construction project, with a deadline of Nov. 26, along a stretch of Memorial Drive that has been the subject of years of safety warnings.

The project’s implementation began Oct. 7 — less than two weeks after biker John. H. Corcoran ’84 was killed when an oncoming SUV swerved onto the sidewalk as he biked west on the drive towards the Boston University Bridge.

The drive, which is under the jurisdiction of the state, is expected to see safety improvements including restriping sidewalks, reducing the speed limit from 35 to 25 miles per hour along the BU Bridge corridor, and a 12-foot-wide raised bike and pedestrian path along the river.

—Staff writer Benjamin Isaac can be reached at benjamin.isaac@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @benjaminisaac_1.

—Staff writer Avani B. Rai can be reached at avani.rai@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @avaniiiirai.