The city of Detroit plans to start changing lane markings along East Jefferson Avenue in early May, adding protected bike lanes and reducing traffic from three to two lanes each way.

The $1 million project runs from Lakewood Street in the Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood on the far east side to Rivard Street by downtown, according to an emailed statement from the city's Planning and Development Department and a flyer from community development corporation Jefferson East Inc. Jefferson East is helping to educate residents and businesses about the project, organization Deputy Director Melanie Piana said in an email.

Changes include adding bicycle lanes with a protective buffer between them and the roadway, designating on-street parking, slowing speeds, adding more pedestrian crossings, re-striping the road and reducing traffic from three lanes each way to two. The cost will be drawn from state transportation funds, the city department said. A construction lane-closure schedule is yet to come.

Detroit also aims to start community engagement work in the next two months for bike lane improvements funded through a separate bond program, the planning department said. The city had introduced in October a $125 million plan to revamp and beautify nearly two dozen commercial corridors, Crain's has reported.