The City of Sacramento’s Public Works Department wants your thoughts on a new plan that could make downtown streets safer and more comfortable for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.
Residents are invited to an open house 5:30-7 p.m. Nov. 6 at City Hall (915 I St.). Staff will be sharing information on the Central City Mobility Project, which proposes major changes to several highly traveled streets in downtown and midtown.
The project is based off of Grid 3.0 and the Central City Specific Plan, two projects that surveyed roads and sidewalks to establish priorities for cars, bikes, pedestrians and transit within the Central City.
The project looks to convert 5th Street from X to H streets, and I Street from 16th to 21st streets, from one-way to two-way streets. It also looks to install bike lanes on I Street between 12th and 16th streets.
Parking protected bike ways, which switch the location of parked vehicles and the bicycle lane for added rider safety and comfort, will also be installed on 19th and 21 streets from Broadway to H Street along with four other major streets.
It should be noted that parking protected bike ways do not take away any vehicle lanes of travel.
City project manager Megan Johnson said the goal of the Central City Mobility Project is to make bicyclists and pedestrians feel safer when using the downtown grid.
“There are a lot of people who want to do things like ride their bike to work but don’t feel comfortable with the facilities we already have in place,” she added.
Funding for the $15.5 million project comes from several sources, including funds from Senate Bill 1, Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency and Valley Rail.
Construction on the project could begin as early as 2021, following public outreach efforts from the City. No RSVP is required for the Nov. 6 open house event.