County OKs new bike route on South End

A new way to tour and enjoy the South End will soon get rolling.

Island County commissioners Tuesday approved funding for signage that will create a new South Whidbey Bike Route.

The $109,500 will pay for signs to direct cyclists along a 22-mile loop from the Clinton ferry dock to Bayview Road and back.

Public Works is still in the process of receiving approval from the state Department of Transportation, according to Connie Bowers, assistant county engineer.

The goal is to have the signs made and put in later this year, but it may happen in early 2020, she said.

The road-cycling tour will pass through Langley and the Maxwelton area along shoulders. In areas with narrow shoulders and low traffic, riders will use the road, Bowers said. No new painting or trail construction will occur.

The project is part of the department’s transportation improvement program. Eventually, public works will produce a map to show the route and others that may be installed in the future, Bowers said.