Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Caltrans and city present downtown multimodal assessment; options include planter-protected bike lanes and sidewalk paths
Summary
Caltrans and Santa Maria staff reviewed a year-long multimodal feasibility study of Broadway (State Route 135) and Main Street (State Route 166) downtown corridors, showing options from protected planter-box bike lanes to widened sidewalks and noting funding options including Active Transportation Program and local mitigation fees.
Caltrans District 5 and city staff presented their downtown multimodal assessment to the Santa Maria City Council on April 7, outlining design options and next steps to improve walkability, bicycling and traffic-calming on Broadway (State Route 135) and Main Street (State Route 166) in downtown.
Finn James, Caltrans liaison, and the city's deputy director/transit manager described nearly a year of study and community engagement that produced several feasible options: buffered bike lanes with planter-box protection (Class 4), enlarged sidewalks and Class I multi-use paths that shift bicyclists to the sidewalk, decorative crosswalks, and median tweaks with left-turn closures for traffic calming. Staff said the study area runs from Pine to Miller on Main and Mill to Cook on Broadway.
Survey feedback (182 responses) showed strong support for decorative crosswalks and buffered/protected bike lanes; the most-favored bicycle treatment was a physically separated, planter-protected lane. Staff emphasized they would not remove on-street parking in many options and that two through-lanes of traffic would be preserved in the designs shown.
Funding pathways discussed include the Active Transportation Program, Caltrans discretionary funds, city growth mitigation fees, SBAG Measure A, and the Highway Safety Improvement Program. Caltrans staff noted the need for a mutual maintenance agreement so Caltrans would maintain pavement and signals while the city would maintain landscaping and beautification elements.
If funded, staff outlined a long timeline: study completed June 2026, potential project development beginning in 2027 if funding is awarded, and construction starting in the early 2030s given a multi-year development horizon. Staff committed to continued community engagement and a return to council with final recommendations.
Council asked questions about parking, freight conflicts, travel lanes, and how options would interface with businesses; staff said the designs aim to balance multimodal goals with freight needs and adjacent businesses.
No formal council action was required; the presentation was an informational step in the study and outreach process.
