Council hears progress report on Valdepena road project; staff says speed-hump requests handled through traffic-calming program

Public Works presented before-and-after photos of a water-line replacement and roadway improvement on Valdepena and told the council the project is on schedule, weather permitting.

A council member asked why the resurfaced street did not receive speed humps, noting council direction during past projects to evaluate speed humps on streets that were resurfaced. Public Works said the roadway was short and had not generated many speeding complaints; the superintendent said he favors minimizing speed humps to avoid impeding emergency vehicles. He apologized for not consulting the council earlier on that neighborhood.

The city manager said the city recently established a traffic-calming program. Under the new process, residents may submit traffic-calming requests at any time; staff will also evaluate the need for traffic-calming measures as part of each resurfacing or construction project. Council members said they want the city to evaluate speed-hump placement during future resurfacing projects and for staff to notify residents about the traffic-calming request option.

Public Works also described the completed Valdepena project scope — water main replacement, new water services, ADA ramps and roadway repair — and said residents in the area reported being pleased with the work. The superintendent said the city will use lessons learned from this project on future street and utility projects.

Council asked staff to provide residents with the traffic-calming request process and to evaluate speed-hump eligibility during future resurfacing designs.