Santa Maria residents will see some construction along Blosser Road over the next few months as the city adds protected bike lanes and pedestrian-friendly crosswalks, and brings sidewalks up to current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.
David Beas, the city’s principal civil engineer, said the North Blosser Road Improvement Project will take 75 working days to complete. The nearly $800,000 project is made possible thanks to a Cycle 7 Highway Safety Improvement Program Grant, which Beas said the city applied for a few years ago.
“We had some staffing challenges that we had to go through because we have lots of projects that we’re working on, so it took us a little bit,” Beas said.
The project, which will make improvements between Taylor Street and Atlantic Place, will add a landscaped median in the center of the road, reducing the lanes from two to one in both directions. This change is designed to slow vehicles.
Protected class II bike lanes will also be added.
“A class II is essentially you have the roadway, and also a separate striped bike lane,” Beas said. “In this particular case there’s a buffered bike lane which is proposed to be 10 feet [wide], which is separated by an asphalt berm.”
A berm is a slightly raised barrier, in this case about 6 inches tall, that stops cars from veering into the bike lane.
“With the physical barrier it is safer for bicyclists,” Beas said.
The project will also update sidewalk corner ramps to meet current ADA standards. Beas said that when the sidewalks were originally designed, they met the ADA standards at the time, but those requirements have changed. The slope of the sidewalk must be less than a 2 percent grade, and some are slightly higher.
“When there’s a construction project, we’re required by law to make certain that all ADA accessible facilities are within current compliance,” Beas said. “So during a cursory review of the facilities we found them not to be in current compliance.”
Finally, the project will add a high-visibility crosswalk on Atlantic Place so that pedestrians can more easily access the Santa Maria Levee Trail. Beas said it will be similar to an existing crosswalk at the intersection of Broadway and Battles.
“Essentially it’s a crosswalk that almost looks like a ladder. There’s this vibrant striping that enhances the awareness of the motoring public,” Beas said, as well as fluorescent signage.
“On top of the levee there’s a multipurpose trail and it commences right at Atlantic,” Beas said. “So the people who live in that neighborhood … are able to access the levee trail via this enhanced crossing.”
These changes are in line with many of the goals laid out in the city’s 2020 Active Transportation Plan, a guide for making Santa Maria a more accessible place for bikers, pedestrians, those with disabilities, and other car-free commuters. While the grant funding for the North Blosser Road Improvement Project is a different pot of money than the funds the Active Transportation Plan is seeking, the projects outlined in the plan contain similar elements to the improvements being made on Blosser: better accessibility for bikes, pedestrians, and those with disabilities.
When construction is happening, Beas said pedestrians and motorists can expect some minor traffic delays, particularly when the asphalt berms and road medians are being put in place.
“We generally like to work around the motoring public as far as commencing work after rush hour,” he said. “It’s all dependent upon traffic patterns.”
This article appears in Jul 1-8, 2021.