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Council accepts $6.2 million in Caltrans safety grants to upgrade signals, crosswalks and bike lanes
Summary
City staff said three Caltrans Highway Safety Improvement Program awards total roughly $6.21 million, with a $1.4 million local match, to replace signal controllers citywide, add high‑visibility pedestrian crossings and build buffered bike lanes on Van Buren Boulevard.
The Riverside City Council authorized acceptance of three Caltrans Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) grants on April 22 that together provide approximately $6,209,000 in state funding for traffic‑safety projects, city traffic staff said. The projects require a local match totaling about $1,400,000 and bring the combined project cost to roughly $7.6 million.
Philip Natayama, the city traffic engineer, told the council the awards resulted from three successful grant applications filed in 2024. The largest component is a program to replace the city's remaining traffic signal controllers — 64 devices citywide — completing a multi‑phase upgrade that modernizes signal operations and prepares intersections for future technologies. Natayama said last year’s work already replaced about 240 controllers; this phase will finish the system upgrade.
The second grant will add pedestrian safety treatments at more than 100 intersections: high‑visibility crosswalks, audible pedestrian push buttons and improvements to multiway stop signage at about 35 locations. Natayama said Riverside Police Services provided data supporting median fencing in targeted locations on Magnolia Avenue and parts of University Avenue where illegal pedestrian crossings posed safety risks; the project would include vegetated screening to soften fencing and locked gates for irrigation access.
The third grant funds protected or buffered bike lanes on Van Buren Boulevard from Arlington to Magnolia to enhance safety for bicyclists of all ages and abilities, Natayama said. He noted the city’s bronze Bicycle Friendly Community designation as supporting documentation for the request.
Natayama told the council the grants allow the city to significantly reduce fatalities and serious injuries over time; he also described a project timeline that includes design, environmental clearance and construction, with the maximum five‑year schedule permitted under the grant. He thanked department staff and outside stakeholders, including local school districts, the Riverside Bike Club and regional agencies, for letters of support.
Councilmembers praised staff for pursuing the grants. The council voted unanimously to accept the awards and authorize the city manager to execute necessary documents and deliver the matching funds and project commitments.
Key figures provided at the meeting: state HSIP awards totaling about $6,209,000; local match about $1,400,000; total project cost about $7,609,000; proposed schedule up to five years. Staff said they will seek to complete projects sooner where feasible.
