In the coming months, cyclists riding to or from the University of Arizona will have an alternative to University Boulevard.

Ann Chanecka, the City of Tucson’s bicycle and pedestrian program manager said she is working on Fifth Street from the University of Arizona to Seventh Avenue to give cyclists another option to head to or from campus.

The University of Arizona is improving the section of route from Euclid to Tyndall to make it more accessible for cyclists and pedestrians.

“It is a parallel route to the streetcar,” Chanecka said. ” It’s for cyclists who are looking for regional mobility and aren’t looking to stop for lunch, this is another option for them.”

The city received $400,000 to improve the seven-tenths -of -a-mile corridor, which will include a Toucan crossing signal that will allow both pedestrians and bicyclists to cross safely. It will also include traffic calming devices like traffic circles and chicanes to slow motorists along the corridor.

Bicycle commuter and University of Arizona professor Chantelle Reynwar uses University Boulevard daily. Reynwar said that commuting on University Boulevard is better than she thought it would be with the streetcar running, but she would definitely use Fifth Street instead.

The inclusion of the Toucan crossing is key in Reynwar’s mind.

“Crossing Euclid is a nightmare,” she said.

For her a riding a couple blocks south wasn’t a big deal and felt like it would put her in a good spot once on campus.

Making Fifth Street more accessible for cyclists has long been a goal and is something suggested in the UA’s bicycle and pedestrian study.

Construction is slated to start in 2015.

Here’s a map of the corridor.