The bikeway named after seven-time Tour de France champion and Austin local Lance Armstrong is still more than a year away from being complete.

But the city is almost done planning the artwork that will adorn the six-mile route.

The Lance Armstrong Bikeway (LAB) has been in the planning stages since 2000, but the idea for artwork has only been part of the plan for about two years.

"Certainly, here in Austin this is a first of its kind," Arts in Public Places Administrator Megan Crigger said.

South Carolina-based Wilbur Smith Associates was hired by the city to design the bikeway.

		WATCH THE VIDEO
	Lance Armstrong Bikeway The city is putting the finishing touches on the art chosen for the six-mile bikeway.

The route will stretch from MoPac and Lake Austin Boulevard through downtown along Fifth Street to Highway 183 in East Austin. (A .pdf map is available here.)

Along the way there will be three "tunnels" - square Slinky-like coils that are 12 feet high, 32 feet long and 6 feet across.

"They're sort of sculptural points that give access to pedestrians and bikers to the bikeway," Crigger said.

The bikeway will consist of a combination of off-street concrete trails, on-street striped bike lanes and on-street signed bike routes.

Once cyclists are pedaling down the bikeway, they won't be getting lost. There will be 10 large yellow paintings on the roads and concrete bike trails marking where they are and how far they've gone. If cyclists miss those, they probably won't miss the eight yellow mile markers.

	One of the three coil-shaped 'tunnels'

Finally, if cyclists need to stop and take a break, they'll be able to use the six benches that double as bike racks.

"I think it's a very good way to bring art and cycling together.
It's nice to have artwork around our city," cyclist Nadia Kean said.

The artwork is expected to be approved by the Art in Public Places Commission on Thursday. It will receive final approval from the Austin City Council. Constrction on the Lance Armstrong Bikeway is scheduled to get started in the spring and be completed in 2008.