Soledad staff present 60% designs for West Street road diet and complete-streets improvements

City staff presented 60%-level design plans for the West Street road-diet and complete-streets project and sought council input on design details and next steps. The city earlier secured a $2,750,000 Regional Surface Transportation Program competitive grant for the work.

The proposed improvements cover several segments of West Street. In the southern section staff proposed a lane reduction from two travel lanes in each direction to a road diet configuration with protected bike lanes, green bike striping and a center median with flexible delineators. Other intersections would receive curb extensions, improved crosswalk striping, truncated-domes upgrades and landscape medians where feasible.

Staff highlighted safety benefits: curb extensions reduce crossing distances for pedestrians and formalize pedestrian crossings; protected bike treatments increase separation between bicyclists and motorists; and upgrades to ADA ramps and truncated domes address accessibility issues. Staff also explained that concrete and asphalt repair and vegetation choices will be coordinated so the project meets both engineering standards and long-term maintenance capacity.

Council members asked detailed questions about the median landscaping (types of trees and long-term maintenance needs), the expected traffic impacts during construction, and whether diagonal "pedestrian scramble" crossings might be feasible at major intersections near schools. Staff said sidewalk and median landscaping will prioritize street-friendly tree species and that future funding could expand plantings to more elaborate vignettes similar to those on Front Street.

Staff outlined the remaining schedule: incorporate council feedback into a 90% design, finalize plans, then move to bid and construction. Council requested a public information and outreach plan to prepare residents for lane changes and construction staging.