A bike path renovation at the intersection of California and Foothill boulevards will continue to cause moderate traffic delays on the roads through mid-August.
The intersection will be closed Monday through Wednesday from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. until completion of the project, according to a City of San Luis Obispo Public Works Commuter Update. There will be flagging and possible lane reductions throughout each day.
The construction is a capital improvement project, which was approved by the San Luis Obispo City Council as a part of the city’s bicycle transportation plan. It is funded primarily by a state bicycle grant and a donation of $87,000 from the San Luis Obispo chapter of the Rotary Club. The final cost is estimated to be about $650,000.
All roadwork is projected to be completed before Cal Poly’s fall quarter begins, according to San Luis Obispo senior civil engineer Dan Van Beveren.
Van Beveren said the purpose of the renovation, officially called The Railroad Safety Trail, is to improve biker safety by connecting two existing bike paths on the Cal Poly and Foothill sides of the intersection.
“The objective of this project is to construct a path in between those two sections, connecting the entire section as one bike path,” Van Beveren said. “It’s a class-one path that is an option for bicyclists to use instead of riding on the road, so definitely safety is one of the considerations of the project.”
In order to connect the paths, workers must change the signals at the intersection and widen the roads.
“A redesign of the intersection signal operation was necessary to provide for that controlled crossing of Foothill, where the pathway would cross, Van Beveren said. “As a result the project has expanded to include the complete widening and redesign of the signal of the intersection.”
Students, such as nutrition senior Rylee Horner, agree that an unchanged intersection poses a risk to bicyclists.
“I drive through that area in the morning for school, and it seems like there’s a lot of traffic,” said Horner. “Cars and bikers are kind of pushed together.”
Horner said since she began driving to campus, she has noticed a decrease in the number of bikers using the intersection.
“They’re probably avoiding it,” she said.
Antonio Soto, a business administration junior who drives through the intersection to campus, said construction and road closures would force him to find an alternative route to school. Still, he said the construction is necessary.
“I’ve seen bikers fall there multiple times,” he said. “If they have to get (the construction) done, they have to get it done, and I think it’s better to just close the road and do it quickly.”
Van Beveren said the project will not affect residential parking or train travel. Furthermore, he said the impact on traffic and delays will be minimal given the intersection is less traveled during the summer.