Edmonton's 102 Avenue bike route is one step closer to piercing the heart of downtown.

Construction cleared in time for October on a shared-use path from 136 Street to the 102 Avenue bridge over Groat Road.

City staff stood along 102 Avenue on Friday, to help pedestrians and cyclists navigate the new route. They explained several new safety features.

For instance, there's no need for cyclists to dismount at crosswalks along the shared-use path. Those intersections are marked by white squares that remind drivers to pay attention for two-wheeled commuters.

The new shared-use path spans roughly one kilometre of 102 Avenue, from 136 Street to the bridge over Groat Road. (Google Maps) Green crosswalk paint indicates where bike lanes cross an intersection.

The new shared-use path spans roughly one kilometre of 102 Avenue. Construction to expand that route by another two kilometres, to 111 Street, is expected to wrap up in 2018.

"I'm really happy to see the city start to put in these kinds of dedicated structures for us and I'm enjoying riding on them," said Maurya Braun, who has cycled to work for the past five years.

"It makes it faster because I don't have to wind my way through the neighbourhoods as much, which is great, and it makes it feel safer because I know that I have space to get around people who are walking."

Once completed, the 102 Avenue bike route will link cyclists to sites such as City Hall, the Stanley A. Milner Library, and the Alberta Art Gallery.