Commission recommends Alisal Streetscape Master Plan for City Council review

The Salinas Traffic and Transportation Commission on Dec. 12 voted 2-1 to recommend that the Salinas City Council consider adopting the draft Alisal Streetscape Master Plan, a multimodal streetscape proposal for East Alisal Street, East Market Street, Williams Road and Sanborn Road. The presentation and technical analysis were given by city staff and consultants from SWA and Nelson Nygaard.

The plan, presented by Mariana Ricker of SWA and traffic model results by Thadeus Wozniak of Nelson Nygaard, lays out a set of corridor-specific improvements intended to reduce speeds, expand the urban tree canopy, and create safer, more usable pedestrian and bike space. "This project really continues to build on the goals that were laid out in the Alisal Vibrancy Plan," Ricker said, describing three design approaches the consultants tested: "connect," "live," and "plant the Alisal." Wozniak said the team modeled 27 signalized intersections to evaluate vehicle operations under the proposed changes.

Why it matters: The plan would reallocate roadway space on major east–west and north–south corridors, add mid-block crossings and planted medians, and create a central Paseo on Williams Road. Williams Road was previously awarded roughly $16,000,000 in Safe Streets for All grant funding; the draft treats the…