OAKLAND — Pedestrians, bicyclists, joggers and dog walkers often have to squeeze together as they share the pathway along a northwest stretch of Lake Merritt, creating a bottleneck city officials hope to relieve by putting in separate bike lanes along Lakeside Drive.

The lanes, which would be protected from traffic by a median, are a modification to the multi-million Lakeside Green Street project to improve the streets and walkways along a portion of Lakeside Drive.

The modification is an effort by the city to make both bicyclists and pedestrians feel safer while using the lake path, which is becoming increasingly more popular after upgrades were made with money from Measure DD, a nearly $200 million bond passed in 2002 that funded improvements to the lake and the Oakland Estuary.

“Anyone who’s been to the lake on a sunny day knows there’s limited room to walk and bike along the lake, the path is often crowded and we know people are uncomfortable when bicyclists share the path with them,” said Oakland Department of Transportation engineer Mohamed Alaoui at the March 6 City Council meeting where council members approved the modification.

The council approved the transportation department’s request for a cost increase of up to $2.7 million, making the potential price of the Lakeside Green Street project $15.5 million. The original contract signed in 2016 with Oakland contractor McGuire and Hester was for a maximum of $12.8 million.

The funds for the modification will come from Measure DD, as well as local sales tax measures B and BB and vehicle registration fees, said transportation department planner Sarah Fine in an interview.

Earlier this year, the transportation department surveyed more than 300 people at the lake, and found that more than half felt uncomfortable sharing the path with bicyclists — even though the path was intended for both bicyclists and pedestrians.

In a different survey, the transportation department found that bicyclists across demographic groups were more comfortable riding in a separated bike lane than a traditional one alongside traffic.

“What we take away from this is that a bike lane next to traffic and the roadway is not comfortable for most people,” Alaoui said. “If we didn’t take the opportunity to make this improvement to Lakeside Drive, we might be excluding a lot of people, especially women, younger Oaklanders and families with children from enjoying the lake on a bike.”

Dave Campbell, advocacy director for nonprofit Bike East Bay, which rallies for more accessible bike paths, said at the council meeting that the originally proposed bike path, similar to what surrounds most of the lake, would have been about 5 feet wide with a 5-inch painted line. Though a lane like that may suffice for one person, a wider, protected bike lane would be more accommodating to families who are out for a ride, Campbell said.

“Those types of designs haven’t come online and haven’t really come to our cities until four or five years ago,” Campbell said. “Oakland is finally getting in the game, and it’s great to see.”

To create the protected bike lane, one southbound traffic lane will be cut from the original plan for Lakeside Drive between Madison and Harrison streets, creating one lane of traffic in both directions. The change will increase the park’s size by 35,000 square feet, and 15 trees will be planted in the median going between the street and the bike lanes. The change will also decrease pedestrians’ crossing distance across Lakeside Drive, Alaoui said.

Transportation department project manager Ali Schwartz told the Oakland Tribune that the modification should not add too much time to the overall project; the department hopes to have it finished by spring 2019. The lanes and median are scheduled to be finished by August of this year.

The overall project, which has caused some closures along Lakeside and is mostly funded through Measure DD, is intended to improve pedestrian crossings and pathways by reducing the width of Lakeside Drive and installing a new pedestrian promenade, according to the city’s website. The project also will include Snow Park improvements, a new tot lot and children’s play area, rain gardens to treat stormwater runoff and a new running trail along the lake.

“We’re very excited to deliver this project,” said Oakland Public Works Department spokesman Sean Maher. “We think it’s going to make the lake a lot more accessible, fun and safe for everyone in Oakland and everyone who enjoys the lake.”