Every day, hundreds of Santa Maria students use the trail on Battles Road to get to and from school, but crossing guard Denise Sanders says improvements are needed along the path to ensure their safety.
Those renovations will soon be taking place.
“To tell you the truth, people drive through here and don't even pay attention that we are there, and that is what makes it dangerous,” Sanders said.
Monday afternoon, KSBY spoke with Sanders about the situation as she helped swarms of students, cyclists and pedestrians like Sarah Magni through the busy intersection of Battles and Broadway.
“The sidewalk is uneven, has holes and is just in disrepair,” Magni said.
However, in the coming weeks, crews will begin work along the mile-long Battles trail to repave the bike path and install a new pedestrian walkway.
“I just hope our tax dollars can help Santa Maria look a little better and be absolutely more safe,” Magni added.
On Monday, we also caught Santa Maria High School senior Pilar Diaz out on the trail as she made her way home from school.
“Definitely in the mornings, when everyone is trying to get to work or to school, it gets really busy around here,” she told KSBY.
Diaz adds that the walkway on Battles Road is often covered in litter and isn’t very pedestrian-friendly, which is why she’s optimistic about how the renovations could improve her daily commute.
“It can definitely be improved. It is not the worst, but it is definitely not the best with how it looks, so I think it is a good thing they are doing to improve the area,” she said.
City public information manager Mark van de Kamp says the total cost for the project is estimated at about $2.5 million and was made possible through the state’s Clean California grant and Measure A tax funds.
Sanders, meanwhile, adds that she can’t wait for work to get started.
“It is a good thing because it is kind of dangerous. Sometimes with the post or the light, you can’t even see who is walking, so we have to stand way out there. I think it would do a lot of good,” she explained.
City leaders say the renovations will also include the addition of more lighting, shade structures and art displays and should be completed this summer.
