Salinas staff review Sherwood Drive slip‑lane closure; adaptive signals and safety fixes under study

SALINAS — At its Oct. 9 meeting, the Salinas Traffic and Transportation Commission received an informational report on the closure of the right‑turn slip lane at Sherwood Drive and East Rossi Street and on ongoing efforts to reduce congestion and improve safety at the intersection.

City staff told the commission the slip‑lane closure was installed as part of a pavement‑maintenance project that leveraged competitive regional funding to add pedestrian and bicycle improvements. The city applied to a Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) competitive program that uses Regional Surface Transportation Program (RSTP) funds for Complete Streets projects and was awarded $152,000 for pedestrian and bicycle safety work. Staff said the delineators that currently close the slip lane were placed in June 2022 during the pavement project and that the intersection was expected to operate at an “acceptable level of service” after optimizations.

The item drew questions from commissioners about whether the closure is increasing congestion and whether physical changes — for example removing trees, changing curb geometry, or…