Brentwood pulls American Avenue bike lanes in a school traffic pilot

Brentwood is rebuilding how American Avenue works outside its two big schools, and the most visible change is that the bike lanes there are coming out.

The city announced the pilot July 17. Crews have already started pavement striping, and the roadway work is expected to be finished before the first day of the 2026 school year.

The street runs past Adams Middle School and Heritage High School, and the drop-off and pick-up crush is the problem the city is trying to solve. Brentwood developed the changes with both schools, with the stated goal of cutting traffic conflicts, improving circulation and making the street safer for students, pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.

Five things are changing. Flexible delineators go in to channelize traffic. Pedestrian crossings are being modified. More red curb is being painted to reinforce no-parking areas. The bike lanes are being removed to create additional curbside parking during school peak periods. And new pedestrian crossing warning signs are going up at the Heritage High School traffic signal.

One piece may run late. Some of the traffic signal work could be finished shortly after school opens, because of when the equipment is scheduled to arrive.

This is a pilot, not a permanent design. The city said it will monitor traffic operations on American Avenue and collect feedback through the school year to judge whether the changes work.

Brentwood has not said what measures it will use to make that call, when it will decide, or how residents should send feedback. The announcement also did not give the first day of school for the 2026 year.