City of Riverside, California Ward 1 Update

Mike Gardner City Council Member - Ward 1 mgardner@riversideca.gov Office: 826-5991 Cell: 941-7084

Update on the Downtown Active Transportation Program (ATP) Grant Status

Hello,

Here is an update on the Downtown Active Transportation Program (ATP) Grant, which is a part of the City of Riverside Downtown & Adjoining Areas Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvement Project. The ATP Grant and the Project apply to a 12 square mile area situated primarily in Ward 1 including the Downtown, three schools, Riverside Community College, 7 City parks, the Downtown Metrolink Station and residential communities. The Project components were selected to collectively provide the most significant impact in the project area on increasing walking and cycling by creating safer, more direct and connected paths to schools, parks and trails, regional and local transportation, surrounding neighborhoods, workplaces, shopping and dining venues, museums, libraries and other key attractions Downtown.  The application was developed through community meetings to identify the most needed items.  There were 13 different components to the ATP Grant, as listed below. All of the items were approved and all should proceed at the same time:

Installation of 17 miles of Class II Bike Lanes (12 different streets).

1. 2,500 feet of new sidewalk.  Mostly on Palm Avenue and also a small segment on San Andreas Avenue.
2. Installation of a Bike Station at the Metrolink Station (showers, lockers, & repair equipment).
3. Installation of 6 connectivity map Kiosks to highlight pedestrian and bike routes.
4. Upgrade pedestrian crossing signals on Market Street at Eleventh Street and Sixth Street. 
5. Bike Staging Area on Tequesquite Avenue near the Santa Ana River Trail Head.
6. Additional funding for the Bike Share Program.
7. Two Bike Corrals in the Downtown.
8. AC Berms on Redwood Drive at Twelfth Street and Thirteenth Street so bikes don’t have to stop.  Three Traffic Circles on Redwood Drive to provide a “Bike Boulevard” and minimize the need for vehicles to stop at 11th Street, 14th Street, and Tequesquite Avenue while still controlling speed.  Bulb-out at Redwood Drive at Ninth Street to improve pedestrian crossing safety.
9. Accessible Pedestrian Signals – Pedestrian Push Buttons for the visually impaired at 5 Intersections.
10. Installation of a crosswalk on the west side of the intersection of Mission Inn and Redwood Drive.
11. Creating a walking path on Glenwood Drive to facilitate access to Mt. Rubidoux.
12. Improvements at Tequesquite Avenue at San Andreas Avenue to beautify the intersection.

Unfortunately, progress has been slow.  Public Works is working with Caltrans to expedite completion.

Tentatively, the schedule looks like:

 

• April 2015- Request for Authorization – Public Works will submit the ROW (right of way) Certification, Preliminary Engineering Plans, Specifications, and Estimates.
• May 2015 – Schedule Field Review.
• Augusts 2015 - Preliminary Environmental Studies (PES)
• December 2015 – Request Authorization to Proceed to Construction.
• March 2016 – Receive Authorization to Proceed to Construction.
• May 2016 – Bid Project
• June 2016 – Construct Project

 I will provide updates as the project develops. 

Please call or e-mail me any time I may be of assistance on this or any other concern.

Mike Gardner
City Council Member-Ward 1
City of Riverside
mgardner@riversideca.gov
Office (951) 826-5991
City Cell (951) 941-7084
Personal Cell (951) 897-8660