Caltrans funds road safety projects
Projects planned in Eureka, Trinidad
Caltrans has awarded over $227 million to fund safety projects in city and county roads across the state.
The funds are destined for safety projects designed to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries on city and county roads, a release from Caltrans states. City or county governments submitted their proposals to receive funding through these grants during an earlier application period.
“Safety is always our No. 1 priority,” said Caltrans director Toks Omishakin in a release announcing the awards. “These projects will enhance system-wide safety features, including expanded access to protected walkways and bikeways, and will move us closer to our goal of reducing serious injuries and fatalities on California roadways.”
Humboldt County jurisdictions will be receiving funds for their submitted projects.
Eureka will be receiving funding for two submitted projects, the Sixth and Seventh street corridor improvements project and the H and I Corridor Buffered Bike lanes project.
Improvements on Sixth and Seventh streets will make crossing improvements for pedestrians at 18 non-signalized intersections throughout the Sixth and Seventh street corridor. This project will include crosswalk markings, curb extensions and signs for crosswalks.
The H and I Corridor Buffered Bike Lanes project will reduce the street’s car lanes from three to two lanes to add buffered bike lanes and pedestrian upgrades, including curb extensions and flashing beacons, to intersections without light signals. The project includes additional safety improvements such as dynamic speed warning signs.
As shared by Eureka transportation project manager Scott Ellsmore, the city applied for the Caltrans safety grants to move forward with these projects.
“Buffered bike lanes are a project the city has worked on for a number of years. It started with a planning grant which had a lot of public input and public outreach and we applied for funding for it a couple of years ago through the same program and we were unsuccessful and this time around we were successful, so we are excited,” Ellsmore said.
“It’s a piece of the larger puzzle of trying to improve all modes of transportation through the city,” he added.
While the funds were awarded this week, work on these projects is expected to roll out in a few years.
“Now that the award process has been formalized, we get to start working through the process of giving the construction dollars. It’s usually a couple different steps in to get those dollars, you have engineering and design dollars and then you get design dollars following it,” he explained. “It’s usually a two- to three-year process before the project hits the streets. We usually aim for about two years.”
Ellsmore said the city will try to publish some information online to give further detail on the projects and construction schedule, as well as other projects that are being worked on this summer.
“We have a 1.2 pedestrian improvement project which will be in construction in the next month or so throughout the city, so there’s going to be a lot of busy, good things happening in the city,” Ellsmore said.
Other safety projects being funded throughout Humboldt County include pedestrian and road safety projects in Trinidad, including flashing beacons and Ada-compliant curb ramps on Main Street at View Avenue and on Edwards Street at the intersections of Hector and Galindo Streets. Road safety improvements coming to this city involve upgrading and replacing existing guardrail systems and end treatments on Scenic Drive south of Langford Road and on Patrick’s Point Drive north of Ocean Avenue.
Another local project in Mckinleyville will install pedestrian rapid flashing beacons at the Hammond Trail crossing of Hiller Road and at the mid-town trail crossing on the intersection of Washington Avenue and Oakdale Drive.