Santa Monica Secures $4.8M Grant for Safety Infrastructure Along Wilshire Boulevard
July 18, 2023 3:33 PM
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Last month, the City of Santa Monica was awarded a $4.8 million state grant to support Phase 2 of the City’s Wilshire Boulevard Safety Enhancement Project. The funds are part of the State of California’s Active Transportation Program. Coupled with the previously awarded $2.1 million grant from the Los Angeles Metro Multi-Year Subregional Program, a total of $6.9 million has been awarded to enhance pedestrian safety, encourage active transportation, and contribute to the City's Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries along Wilshire Boulevard.
Phase 2 will begin immediately with the engineering design for six intersections located along Wilshire – at 18th Street, 21st Street, 22nd Street, Chelsea Avenue, 25th Street, and Harvard Street – with anticipated construction beginning Summer 2025. All of the intersections will receive curb extensions and upgraded lighting, while at Chelsea Avenue a traffic signal will also be constructed. Construction at a seventh priority intersection, Wilshire at 16th Street, will begin in Summer of 2024 as part of Phase 2, with implementation of a new traffic signal, curb extensions, and lighting.
Phase 1 is expected to be completed by the end of Summer 2023, and significant progress has been made, including the repaving of the Wilshire corridor, traffic lane markings, and the relocation of four bus stops. Phase 1 emphasizes pedestrian crossing improvements and will incorporate highly visible flashing beacons at five intersections and restricting side streets at fourteen unsignalized intersections to right-turn only, including at 9th Street, 10th Street, 12th Street, 18th Street, 19th Street, 21st Street, 22nd Street, 24th Street, Chelsea Avenue, 25th Street, Princeton Street, Stanford Street, and Franklin Street. A right-turn only pilot was established at Harvard Street in 2019. Phase 1 transit enhancements include marked bus stops with red pavement, loading zones, and improvements specific to bus routes, effectively preparing for increased ridership with the upcoming Metro Purple subway extension.
The Wilshire Safety Study—a community engagement process involving many residents, businesses, and visitors in Santa Monica undertaken from 2019 to 2020—informed the enhancements and changes as part of the Wilshire Boulevard Safety Enhancement Project.
To learn more about the Wilshire Boulevard Safety Enhancements, visit santamonica.gov/mobility-projects/wilshire-boulevard-safety-enhancements.
Media Contact
Tati Simonian
Public Information Officer
Tati.Simonian@santamonica.gov
Categories
Getting Around, Transportation Planning