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Construction started this week on a $1.5 million project to improve increasingly traveled North Williams Avenue, where development has surged.

鈥淐onsidering how much development that’s been happening on North Williams, we’re changing the street design,鈥� Portland Bureau of Transportation spokeswoman Diane Dulken said. 鈥淪o Williams is getting safer.鈥�

The safety improvements are expected to ease travel for bicyclists, pedestrians, bus drivers and motorists between Northeast Broadway and Killingsworth Street. Plans call for new striped crosswalks and curb extensions to improve pedestrian visibility, widened bike lanes separated from bus traffic and a new traffic signal at the busy intersection with North Cook Street.

Many of the improvements were driven by North Williams Avenue’s popularity as a bike commute route; each day approximately 4,000 bicyclists travel on it alongside 8,000 motorists, Dulken said. Bike lanes will be widened from between 5 and 6 feet to 12 feet and moved to the left side of the street away from bus stops on the right. This will eliminate the need for bicyclists to weave between buses along the corridor, she said.

In addition to installing the signal at Williams Avenue and Cook Street, crews will improve the pedestrian crossing, Dulken said.

鈥淐ook (Street) is so busy 鈥� there is so much going on so that will bring so much more safety,鈥� she said.

PBOT officials designed the streetscape improvements after an extensive 16-month community outreach effort, Dulken said.

Construction is scheduled to finish in December.