Riverside secures $7.5 million grant for street safety upgrades

The city of Riverside has been awarded a $7.5 million grant from the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All program to enhance traffic safety on several major streets. The funding will be allocated to the Riverside Neighborhood Safety Investment project, focusing on Arlington Avenue, Adams Street, La Sierra Avenue, and the 91 Freeway. These locations were selected due to their history of incidents involving pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles, highlighting the urgent need for safety improvements. Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson emphasized the importance of creating a safer environment for residents who wish to walk and bike in the community. The project aims to implement significant upgrades, including over 16 miles of new bike lanes, high visibility crosswalks, and audible pedestrian push buttons at 85 intersections. Additionally, the plan includes ADA-compliant curb ramps at eight intersections, more than half a mile of new sidewalks, and traffic-calming measures such as speed humps. A portion of the grant will also be used for improvements along the 91 Freeway, which includes the construction of a pedestrian and bicycle bridge, a citywide Intelligent Transportation master plan study, and a mast plan study in compliance with the American Disability Act Transition. The total cost of the project is estimated to be around $9.3 million, with the city contributing nearly $2 million. Riverside stands out as the only city in the county to receive this grant and is among 11 jurisdictions statewide benefiting from the program. The U.S. Department of Transportation's initiative aims to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on roadways, having allocated $2.7 billion to over 1,400 communities in its first three years.