Seaside planners outline Broadway Avenue complete-streets plan with road diet, seven mini-roundabouts
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Summary
Consultants and staff presented a $12 million Active Transportation Program-funded redesign of Broadway Avenue including a road diet, protected bike lanes and seven mini-roundabouts; the project will prioritize school safety, bids are expected in April 2026 and construction is planned through 2029 with public outreach scheduled.
Seaside planners and project consultants presented a design and construction timeline for the Broadway Avenue Complete Street Corridor project at the Feb. 19 meeting, describing a safety-focused redesign of roughly 1.5 miles from Fremont to General Jim Moore.
The consultant said the project would convert Broadway to one travel lane each direction (a road diet), add protected bike lanes and install seven mini-roundabouts to replace existing stop-controlled intersections and signals. The plan highlights school-area safety near Martin Luther King Jr. School and includes an education and engagement component for students and residents on how to use roundabouts.
Funding and schedule: The presenter identified $12,000,000 from the state's Active Transportation Program (approximately $11,000,000 for design and construction and $1,000,000 for education/engagement) and noted an additional $4,000,000 from the regional surface transportation program. Staff said the project is expected to go out to bid in April 2026, with contract award in June and construction occurring in phases from 2026 into 2029 to minimize impacts during school sessions. An open house at the fire station was scheduled for March 24.
Community concerns and coordination: Public commenters and councilmembers asked about how design changes affect grant eligibility and whether midstream modifications could jeopardize funding; staff said design changes are possible but could affect the $11 million construction allocation if they are material and do not meet funding milestones. The presenter also said extensive outreach had included workshops, pop-ups and roughly 150 survey responses, and that translation services and coordination with school staff would be provided for engagement events.
Technical clarifications: The consultant explained that installing roundabouts at all principal intersections was required by the intersection-control evaluation; partial placement (roundabouts at some intersections but not others) would create backups and reduce the effectiveness of the road diet. The design team said roundabout geometry will limit entry speeds to about 23 mph and that crosswalk treatments are included to calm traffic further.
Next steps: Staff encouraged residents to attend the March 24 open house and to use project web pages and QR-code sign-ups to receive construction alerts and updates as the project advances to bidding and contractor selection.
