BIKE: UT to Wm. Cannon & Bluff Springs

[tim_allison]

I've been commuting by bike for about two months now and am wondering if anyone
here knows a better route than the one I've been taking.  I'm trying to get
from UT to Wm Cannon at Bluff Springs (essentially Wm Cannon and I-35) - this
is my trip home, since I usually take the bus to work.

Currently, I ride through the capitol grounds and then take Colorado through
downtown.  From there, I hop onto the Town Lake trail, go west to the Lamar
pedestrian/bike bridge, cross the river, and take Bouldin/5th street down to
cumberland, go east to Congress, where I go south.  Before hitting Wm Cannon, I
turn left onto N. Bluff Dr, which gets me (after going through a parking lot)
to the Corner of Wm. Cannon and the southbound I-35 frontage road.  I typically
walk my bike across the freeway and ride through the target/strip mall parking
lot to Bluff Springs.  I think this is all about 9 miles and takes about an
hour.

I'm looking for a new route because (obviously) the one I'm currently taking is
fairly complicated and involves going in the wrong direction to catch
bike-friendly roads.  I've tried taking Congress all the way from downtown but
found that the parked cars and construction make it fairly dangerous.  Any
other ideas from those who bike this part of town?

Thanks,
Tim