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Council delays vote on $14.3M H Street complete‑street project for more outreach
Summary
Staff presented a $14.3 million complete‑street plan for 8th Street (H Street): protected bike lanes, bulb‑outs, decorative lighting, trees and repaving. Councilors asked for more constituent outreach and time to resolve school‑period construction and alley access concerns and unanimously continued the item.
The City Council on May 27 continued action on a $14.3 million H Street (8th Street) corridor improvement project to the next council meeting to allow more outreach and to resolve operational details.
Public Works staff described a 2.3‑mile complete‑street project from Highway 58 to State Route 204 that would add protected bicycle lanes, 30 intersection bulb‑outs, six rapid‑flash pedestrian beacons, 74 decorative light poles, landscaping with about 174 new trees, and repaving of the corridor. Project funding is largely grant‑based: staff said roughly 85% of the contract is covered by federal and state grants (including CMAQ/ATP) and about 15% is local match.
Why council continued the award Several council members and residents asked for more time to reach affected businesses and homeowners along 8th Street. Councilors cited concerns about construction timing around Bakersfield High School, vehicle turning radii into alleys used for deliveries, and ensuring parking impacts were fully vetted with business owners. Assistant Public Works Director Paul Archer said staff had done street‑level outreach and would work to accommodate alleys and service access in final design but acknowledged more stakeholder conversations could be useful.
What happens next Council Member Basher moved to continue the award to the next meeting to give councilmembers and staff time to solicit additional feedback and resolve timing and service‑access questions; the motion passed unanimously. Staff said a short continuance would not imperil grant funding but would help refine the construction schedule so major paving around the high school can be scheduled to minimize impact on school operations.
Context and safety data Public Works highlighted collision data: 319 collisions across the corridor in five years, including pedestrian and bicycle crashes with serious injuries and fatalities. Staff framed the project as a safety and multimodal access improvement, aiming to slow speeds and shorten crossing distances for pedestrians while preserving essential parking and access for businesses.
The council did not award the contract on May 27; staff will return with updated outreach notes and a proposed award date after the next meeting.
