Olivehurst Avenue Complete Streets Project

The Olivehurst Avenue Complete Streets Project is a defining feature for the disadvantaged community of Olivehurst. It completely transformed a narrow, dangerous, and aesthetically unappealing roadway, into an attractive, safe, multi-modal corridor that the community is proud of. The conceptual project was born as a result of the Olivehurst Sustainable Community and Economic Revitalization (OSCER) Plan, prepared as part of a large public outreach program. Construction of this community-changing project was completed in September 2016, and includes the following improvements : 2.4 miles of bicycle lanes and sidewalks; street widening and rehabilitation; curbs, gutters, and storm drains; transit stops and ADA accessibility improvements; utility undergrounding; Olivehurst’s first traffic signal; and upgrading street lights to more energy efficient LEDs. A primary focus of this project was to increase safety for pedestrians and bicyclists on the main corridor through the community of Olivehurst. The bicycle lanes and sidewalks improved student accessibility and safety to two elementary schools that are situated at either end of the project limits; Ella Elementary to the north, and Olivehurst Elementary to the south. Providing bicycle lanes and sidewalks enhanced the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists by separating the two modes of travel from having to share a narrow paved shoulder with each other and motorists. Parents of school children are now more willing to let their children walk/bike to the two elementary schools on either end of the corridor. The improvements will increase the mobility and safety of people with disabilities, providing ADA access to many transit stops along the corridor. The safety of school children crossing a busy street to an elementary school is dramatically improved with the installation of Olivehurst’s first traffic signal at McGowan Parkway. The signal now provides much needed safety for schoolchildren, who previously had to cross a busy street with no stop controls to access Olivehurst Elementary School. If the school continues to utilize crossing guards at the signalized intersection, the crossing guards will also realize the safety benefits it provides. The traffic signal also includes audible sounds to assist the visually impaired in crossing all directions of the intersection. Part of the overall project included undergrounding the overhead utilities. Not only did this provide a much more aesthetically pleasing corridor, but it enhanced safety by removing fixed objects for motorists. The utility undergrounding also preserved many mature trees along the corridor that otherwise would have required removal to accommodate overhead lines behind the sidewalks.