Community members can provide feedback about some planned Improvements to Higuera Street, including condensing lanes and adding barriers along the roadway.
The Higuera Complete Streets Project is almost ready for construction to start.
Over the course of two years, there has been extensive public outreach, environmental review, and traffic operational studies to guide the development of the project designs for the Higuera Complete Streets Project. The designs are now at 90% complete.
Jessica Mcneill bikes along Higuera Street a few times a week.
“It's a little scary on this road,” Mcneill said.
She hopes for concrete barriers to separate the cars from the bikes.
“It would be better if there were two lanes for the whole road and having a turning lane,” Mcneill said.
A proposed change would condense Higuera Street from four lanes to two lanes somewhere between Bridge St. and Margarita Ave. A Higuera Complete Streets Project Study Session on Feb. 4 would address this.
“It doesn't make sense to me. There's plenty of traffic with four lanes. Currently, this is access to a lot of business as well as homes without taking the freeway or 227,” said Tony Ramirez, who drives along Higuera three times a week. “The four lanes is doable and there are certain times I stay away like 5 o'clock.”
He disapproves of the proposal.
“It would have a noticeable impact on traffic,” Ramirez said.
According to the City of Slo’s Active Transportation Committee, five people have been killed in traffic collisions on Higuera Street in the last five years.
Three years ago, the city launched the Higuera Complete Streets Project to prevent future deaths.
The committee is now in its final stages of approval for the project and will be taking public comment at a city council study session this week. Fewer lanes and barriers for cyclists will be discussed.
“One thing we have to do when it comes to safety is visually, by design, narrow the roadway so we can reduce the speeds,” said Adam Fukushima with the City of SLO.
Whether walking, biking or driving, safety is the ultimate goal.
“If it's too many lanes and there's a bigger bike lane, that would be sweet,” Mcneil said.
There are 45 crosswalks proposed for the project as well as protected bike lanes along the road.
To keep the funding grants they have, the City has to start the work by the beginning 2026 at the latest.
$7 million of their grant funding is coming from the state-active transportation program and a little more than $2 million from SLOCOG for the project.
The Complete Streets Project will cost a total of $11.5 million.
The meeting will be held on Tuesday at SLO City Hall at 5:30 p.m. Construction is at the end of 2025 if everything goes as planned.
Other things include:
- Improve pedestrian crossings and accessibility, including more than 70 curb ramps and 45 upgraded or new crosswalks.
- improved pavement quality and refreshed roadway striping for all road users
- protected bike lanes and other bicycle enhancements
- neighborhood greenway connections to Hawthorne Elementary school and Broad Street
- new center turn lanes and upgraded traffic signals for motor vehicle safety
- improved access to transit stops
At the study session, community members can get an update on the project and provide final feedback to guide the development of the plan. in addition, the study session will request input from the council on the following:
- The limits of the proposed lane reductions (“road diet”) on Higuera Street between the bridge and Margarita Street only. This is the only segment with a proposed road diet.
- The type of vertical separation to be used where protected bike lanes are proposed
- design alternatives at the Higuera Street/Los Osos Valley Road intersection
