Anacapa Safe Routes to School

Location

Telegraph Road between Mills Road and Ashwood Street

City or County Responsible for Project

Ventura City

Category

Complete Streets Projects

Author

Jeff Hereford

Organization

City of Ventura Public Works

Address

501 Poli Street, Room 120, Ventura CA 93001

Phone

805-654-7744

Project Description

Nestled along a busy corridor in the coastal town of Ventura, California lies a middle school named after Anacapa Island of nearby Channel Islands National Park. Anacapa Middle School serves grades six through eight for families living in the midtown area and with Ventura Community College located just a mile away on Telegraph Road, these improvements provided a critical to the nearby Ventura Transit Center. Prior to 2020, Telegraph Road between Ashwood Avenue and Mills Road was an incomplete maze of sidewalks, curb, and gutter, as well as patches of incomplete bike lanes. Furthermore, Ventura Unified School District began to express concern over the lack of walkable routes and safe crossings to the school. After examining the area, our Transportation Division concluded that this stretch of roadway featured curb extensions (bulb-outs) that hindered traffic flow and pedestrian walkability. Additionally, many of the property lines of the curb extensions were private property and required significant coordination to ensure a complete path for residents and students to navigate. Project highlights: Featured a brand-new crosswalk for Anacapa Middle School students at Glenn Ellen Drive Incorporated a new ADA ramp from the crosswalk to school grounds Provided a new signalized intersection and crosswalk at College Drive Completed a gap in the bike path along Telegraph Road to link the Ventura Transit Center and Ventura College Obtained rights-of-way to provide complete full sidewalks to connect Coordinated resurfacing activities with an adjacent paving project.