Staff weigh raised curbs, bollards and painted curbs to manage San Pablo crossings; contractors to make short-term fixes

City staff on June 26 presented options for handling raised curbs and vertical barriers in Albany’s right of way and described project‑specific refinements on San Pablo Avenue where temporary barricades and raised planters have altered pedestrian paths.

Lisonbee Carrillo, the city’s CIP program manager, told the commission that raised curbs outside the standard curb and gutter are increasingly used where right‑of‑way is constrained, for storm‑water capture, to provide edge protection where grades change, or to reduce vehicle encroachment on pedestrian zones. ‘‘Raised curbs that are outside of our standard curb and gutter that conveys stormwater flow. They're generally 4 inch to 6 inch high,’’ Carrillo said.

Carrillo outlined a toolbox of options for different situations: unpainted concrete curbs; painted or colored concrete for additional visibility; bollards or railings where vertical protection must sit inside or adjacent to the pedestrian access route; and temporary cones or barricades for short‑term construction or behavior change. She noted…