Bellflower Boulevard at Imperial Highway Intersection Improvement Project
Location
Bellflower Boulevard at Imperial Highway
City or County Responsible for Project
City of Downey
Category
Roads: Efficient and Sustainable Road Maintenance, Construction and Reconstruction Projects.
Author
Julio Guerrero
City of Downey
11111 Brookshire Avenue Downey, CA 90241
5629047110
Project Description
The Bellflower Boulevard at Imperial Highway Intersection Improvement Project is an example of an innovative roadway program that proactively sought to achieve safety, preservation and sustainability goals of the statewide local street and road system. The project developed a program that sought to achieve several goals: 1) increased vehicular capacity, 2) reduced congestion, fuel consumption and Greenhouse gas emissions, 3) enhanced traffic safety and 4) promote environmentally sustainable practices. The program for the proposed project was developed in response to the Metro I-605 Freeway Corridor Hot Spots Congestion Feasibility Study. This document identified deficiencies that increasingly led to freeway congestion along the corridor, or “hot spots,” and recommended a series of improvements, particularly at the freeway interchanges in an effort seek solutions to mitigate these deficiencies and maintain acceptable levels of service and mobility along the corridor through 2030. The study examined several City intersections, including those with the highest accident rates, along parallel arterial routes that are considered part of the I-605 Freeway corridor in order to enhance capacity at these locations as well as for purposes of maintaining long-term mobility along the parallel arterial corridors. The Bellflower Boulevard at Imperial Highway intersection was one of the key intersections identified by the study. The project improvements were specifically designed to maintain an acceptable level-of-service through 2030 due to the projected traffic growth at the intersection. The improvements are expected to provide a positive impact to the community, including residents, businesses and visitors due to the construction of additional turn lanes at the intersection, including double left turn lanes in the northbound and southbound directions and exclusive right turn lanes in the eastbound, southbound and northbound directions. Additionally, the existing curb returns at each of the four corners of the intersection were reconstructed with larger (50’ radius) returns in order to facilitate right-turn movements involving semi-trucks and other large vehicles in a safe and efficient manner. Furthermore, the construction of a raised concrete median island along Bellflower Blvd. includes drought tolerant landscaping and a new irrigation system that is environmentally friendly and promotes sustainability. The project was delivered on-schedule and proved to be cost-effective with wide-ranging long-term benefits to the local street and road system.
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