Imperial City unveils multi-year street, bike-lane and sidewalk projects and seeks federal grants

City of Imperial Community Development staff on the dais on May 14 presented a multi‑year slate of transportation projects that the department says will add sidewalks, bike lanes, storm drains and EV chargers and rehabilitate multiple roadways across the city.

The presentation, led by Jesus Mora of the Community Development Department, emphasized that most of the work is being paid for with federal and regional grants and that several projects are at or near construction start. “Our city, we are roughly 22,000 residents in approximately 6.2 square miles, 70 miles, of roadway,” Mora said. “So the projects presented today have been selected” to address long‑standing maintenance and pedestrian safety gaps.

The projects include: continuation of a protected Class 2 bike lane on 18 Boulevard; rehabilitation and striping work on Eden Boulevard (paving largely complete, Mora said, with the Class 2 bike lane and minor details remaining); a multi‑phase Highway 86 beautification and pedestrian‑infrastructure package that adds sidewalks, curb and gutter, left‑turn pockets and additional bike lanes; rehabilitation of P Street and several local collectors; and sidewalk installs and storm‑drain work near schools and Old Town. Mora said the city secured nine grant awards in its most recent application round and now faces the work of delivering the projects.

Staff also described three bundles of grant funding: the Carbon Reduction Program (CRP) to install EV chargers and purchase three city EVs in three phases; Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) grants to fund several sidewalk installs along 18 Boulevard; and Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) money to rehabilitate segments including P Street and additional phases of Eden Boulevard. A staff presenter said the 18 Boulevard north segment sidewalk bid process has already started and that construction could begin in roughly six weeks.

Council members asked about signal synchronization and timing. Mora said the traffic‑signal synchronization was added to the Skyway/86 verification project after the original scope and that staff are negotiating pricing with the vendor; he said the city recently received a vendor correspondence and that the project remains “on track.”

Mora and community development staff also described where work is staged: several rehabilitation projects include new storm drains to address recurring flooding, and some segments near the high school will include sidewalks and Americans with Disabilities Act ramps. Staff noted coordination with the Imperial County Transportation Commission (ICTC) and other regional partners on grant applications and delivery.

The presentation drew positive remarks from council members and staff. One council member said residents who had complained about traffic and construction later praised the results after seeing finished work. Mora said the city will continue to submit applications to grant programs including CMAQ and STBG and will return to council with bid approvals and construction resolutions as those items are ready.

Wider context: staff stressed that while grant awards fund most construction, the city must now manage bidding, contingencies and construction delivery. Mora said the city’s next steps are to start several bid processes, monitor vendor responses and return to council for approvals where required.