The City of Salinas' Downtown Vibrancy Plan identified needs to update Downtown's infrastructure to assure pedestrian safety, calm vehicular traffic to encourage increased bicycle use, provide a sustainable parking strategy, and create a sense of place through art and culture that attracts visitors to a new, safe destination. The city is planning on instituting a "Road Diet" for Alisal Street between Blanco Road and Front Street (see attachment). As part of an overall project to resurface Alisal Street with an asphalt overlay on the road, a comprehensive set of improvements will be incorporated into the project.
Alisal Street complete street improvements are listed in the Downtown Vibrancy Plan, and will enhance safety for bicyclists, pedestrians and drivers. Improvements along Alisal Street include:
- Buffered bike lanes between Blanco Rd & Front St
- Parking buffered bike lanes between Salinas St & Capitol St
- Center turn lanes between Front St & Soledad St
- Curb extensions and high-visibility crosswalks on Pajaro St, Monterey St, Church St, Lincoln Ave, Homestead Ave & W Acacia St
- Pedestrian all-way crosswalks (pedestrian scrambles) on Main St & Salinas St
Altogether, the Alisal Street road diet improvements are designed to accommodate the existing and planned volumes of auto traffic while making it safer for pedestrians and bicyclists to use the street.
The planning level cost estimate for design and construction of these improvements is $2.6 million. Construction is expected to begin this summer, and be complete by Spring 2018.
City of Salinas staff will present the concept design improvements. Staff requests Committee input on these designs.