Public Works completes more than 100 safety improvements under new initiative

Editor’s note: An earlier version stated that the City’s Vision Zero Action Plan update was based on five years of crash data. This has been corrected to reflect that the City is using the last 10 years of data.

The City of Sacramento’s Department of Public Works this week shared progress on the City’s Transportation Safety Initiative, a comprehensive effort to make streets safer for people walking, biking and driving.

Approved by the City Council in late March, the initiative accelerates how the City responds to safety needs and expands the tools available to deliver improvements more quickly. A core component of the initiative is the new Transportation Safety Team, a dedicated unit within Public Works focused on quick-build and interim safety projects across Sacramento’s High Injury Network.

These projects use low-cost, high-impact treatments—such as enhanced signage, refreshed striping, lane-narrowing elements and visibility upgrades—to reduce crashes while long-term capital improvements continue to move forward.

“Residents are asking for safer, more walkable neighborhoods, and we’re listening,” said City Traffic Engineer Megan Carter. “Quick-build projects help us address urgent needs now while we continue working toward the long-term, comprehensive improvements our communities need.”

Carter was joined by Councilmember Rick Jennings and local resident Alena Wong at a press conference Nov. 26 to share updates on the City’s progress. Wong was struck and seriously injured while biking through this intersection. The Wong family has continued to advocate for safer streets to help prevent similar crashes from happening to others.

Vertical flexible posts installed in the intersection to help slow driver speeds and increase awareness of the school zone and crosswalk.

Curb-extensions installed to visually narrow the road, helping slow traffic

Public Works has already made several staffing advances to support this work. The Department has recruited a Supervising Engineer to lead the Transportation Safety Team, with an announcement expected in January 2026. Two new Traffic Investigation team members will begin in December and January, with additional hiring planned once the team’s leader is on board in early 2026.

Even before the full team is operational, Public Works has accelerated safety work throughout 2025. Since April, residents and community advocates have submitted requests through 311 and council offices identifying intersections in need of better visibility, lower speeds or safer crossings.

Using existing staff—three traffic investigators and the in-house signs and markings team—Public Works has delivered a more flexible and creative approach this year.

Jan.-Nov. 2025 Quick-build safety projects

More than 100 traffic-safety improvements have been installed citywide so far in 2025, including:

17 quick-build projects
39 locations of intersection daylighting
17 school-zone safety upgrades such as high-visibility crosswalks and enhanced signage
Six new stop-controlled residential intersections

One of these locations is the intersection of Sutterville Road and Mead Avenue in District 7 near William Land Park and nearby school zones.

Upgrades there include vertical flexible posts added along the centerline to help slow vehicle speeds, new yield markings, and signage reminding drivers to stop for people in the crosswalk. Visibility at side-street crossings was improved with new red-curb areas and clearer parking limits.

To guide future work, Public Works also is completing an update to the City’s Vision Zero Action Plan using the latest 10 years of crash data. Building on the 2018 plan, the update will outline new strategies and identify the top 20 locations where quick-build solutions can have the greatest impact. The plan will guide the Transportation Safety Team’s work as it scales up in 2026.