A $9.6 million project to improve the safety and connectivity of Palo Alto’s biking and walking network is set to start this summer.

The first phase of the Neighborhood Traffic Safety and Bicycle Boulevard Project involves adding traffic circles and raised intersections to slow vehicle traffic and removing stop signs to make it easier for cyclists to get around.

The City Council approved the work contract with Granite Construction Co. in June.

City officials will meet with the contractor soon to discuss the phases and timeline of the project, which likely will break ground next month, spokeswoman Claudia Keith said Wednesday.

The city plans to add three bike boulevards and traffic-calming measures to Amarillo Avenue, Bryant Street, East Meadow Drive, Montrose Avenue, Moreno Avenue, Louis Road, Palo Alto Avenue and Ross Road.

The Amarillo Avenue-Moreno Avenue Bicycle Boulevard will provide the city with an east-west bicycle connection. It will also connect to the Ross Road Bicycle Boulevard, a second north-south artery in Palo Alto.

City officials say the Louis Road-Montrose Avenue Bicycle Boulevard will help bridge Palo Alto with the San Francisco Bay Trail and employment areas in Mountain View by connecting to the proposed Adobe Creek/U.S. 101 overcrossing.

The project also includes installation of new and updated crosswalks, curb extensions and curb ramps that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Some residents wrote to council members to express support for the bike projects.

Maria Abilock said biking all around town is one of the greatest joys of living in Palo Alto.

“Safe infrastructure to encourage more biking and reduce car congestion on our roads is in the best interest of all Palo Alto residents,” Abilock said.

A resident of the Southgate neighborhood, Daja Phillips, also supports funding for bike boulevards and Safe Routes to School.

“We try hard to bike to school/work to decrease congestion, parking problems and maintain a healthy body and planet,” Phillips wrote in an email.

In the fall, city officials plan to seek bids for construction of traffic-calming measures for Bryant Street, Maybell Avenue, Stanford Avenue, Park Boulevard and Wilkie Way.

If approved, construction for the second round of traffic-calming measures will be planned for next summer.

The city’s goal is to increase bicycle traffic for local and work commute trips 100 percent by 2020.

Completion of both projects will result in the addition of 13.1 miles of bike boulevards to the city’s bicycle network, according to a staff report.