https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Subscribe to GovPro
    • Manage GovPro Subscription
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
acc.com

Public Works & Utilities


City improves downtown traffic, bus service

City improves downtown traffic, bus service

Santa Monica, Calif., has reconstructed traffic lanes and sidewalks to improve bus movement through downtown. The project provided a facelift to a 10-block
  • Written by Bill Zein, principal civil engineer for Santa Monica, Calif.
  • 1st December 2002

Santa Monica, Calif., has reconstructed traffic lanes and sidewalks to improve bus movement through downtown. The project provided a facelift to a 10-block area and eased pedestrian and vehicle access to popular attractions.

Prior to the reconstruction, Santa Monica’s downtown had become a confusing mix of pedestrians, passenger vehicles, transit and commercial traffic. Tourists finding their way to the famous Santa Monica Pier, Muscle Beach and “Baywatch” Beach clogged streets for the city’s 90,000 residents and the buses that provide express service to downtown Los Angeles.

Working with a design team led by Oakland, Calif.-based Amphion Environmental, the city developed a plan for a Transit Mall that would manage and improve traffic circulation, enhance the pedestrian and passenger experience and provide better connections to nearby areas. The plan included widening sidewalks, dedicating bus lanes and installing bus shelters, transit information kiosks and signs. It also reallocated public rights of way for outdoor cafes, pedestrian uses, transit priority lanes and mixed-use vehicular lanes.

The project got under way in April 2001. To keep residents and businesses informed of the construction, the city established a community outreach program that included signs, notices, stakeholder meetings and a 24-hour hotline. Working with the Los Angeles office of Kansas City, Mo.-based Black & Veatch, construction managers; Calabasas, Calif.-based Valley Crest Landscape, general contractors; and Playa Del Rey, Calif.-based Harris & Co., public outreach managers, the city coordinated with business associations, police and fire departments, utility companies, private developers and other groups to schedule construction.

Construction was staged to ensure that no street was ever closed and to minimize disruption to merchants, residents and visitors. Crews worked in segments two blocks long and one-half street wide for six-week periods. Plywood and clear, sound-adsorbing acrylic barrier panels stretched along two blocks of sidewalk to separate pedestrians from the construction. K rails, a type of concrete barrier, enhanced safety for pedestrians and construction workers; wooden footpaths provided access to businesses; and signs and banners helped customers find the shops they wanted. Following 14 months of construction, the $13.3 million Transit Mall was completed in June 2002.

The reorganization of traffic patterns downtown creates a loop that helps balance bus circulation by shifting some route segments off heavily traveled streets onto less busy parallel streets. The new transit lanes and associated passenger/sidewalk amenities form the “on-street” transit facility at the center of the city for use by the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus and Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Downtown’s dedicated bus lanes allow buses to bypass congested traffic lanes, making the bus a faster and more reliable experience for riders. “The Transit Mall is all about moving people downtown in a different way than before, and the new amenities really encourage people to take advantage of alternative modes of transportation,” says Stephanie Negriff, director of transportation services for the city.

Tags: Public Works & Utilities

Related


  • American City & County’s 2020 Crown Communities Awards
    Projects nominated for American City & County's annual Crown Communities Awards are judged on uniqueness, short- and long-term value to the community and effective/innovative financing.
  • 2020 Crown Communities winner: Rock Hill, S.C.'s My Ride
    Rock Hill, S.C.’s My Ride project is a great example of how a city can solve multiple issues with one innovative project. My Ride is an all-electric, fare-free, fixed-route bus system that operates within Rock Hill (pop. 75,000). Seven electric buses ferry passengers over four routes that span across major corridors in the city. The […]
  • How small cities are tackling lead service line replacement
    “We move Heaven and earth,” says Montana Birt. A transplant from Georgia, Birt is a pastor in a local church in Thorp, Wisc., the smallest of cities with a population of just more than 1,600. His more earthly endeavor, however, involves digging up and replacing lead pipes that threaten to poison his neighbors’ water in […]
  • Six tips for making sure your dispatch is doing all the right moves
    Planning, design, construction, maintenance and waste disposal are a few aspects public works departments deal with daily. It seems like a great deal of specialized work and reporting because it absolutely is. And all of it routed through a dispatch center. Without the right tools in place, a dispatcher cannot keep things running smoothly. Nor […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • The future of transportation – leveraging smart solutions to boost user experience
  • Five reasons why city managers should put utility vehicles to work
  • Six cities share $745,000 in grants for sustainability projects
  • The uncertain future of community composting in New York City

White papers


Discover How Public Sector Officials are Monitoring and Managing Overtime in This New White Paper

22nd February 2021

How to Assemble a Successful Government Grant Proposal

5th February 2021

The Rise of Procurement’s Next Normal

5th February 2021
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

2020 Crown Communities winner: El Paso County, Texas’ pretrial justice modernization dlvr.it/Rv4GKL

6th March 2021
AmerCityCounty

A city’s innovative downtown master plan sees future in local, inclusive placemaking dlvr.it/Rv3SfM

5th March 2021
AmerCityCounty

2020 Crown Communities winner: Gainesville, Fla. closes Dignity Village and houses its homeless population dlvr.it/Rv1GS2

5th March 2021
AmerCityCounty

2020 Crown Communities Winner: South Bay Cities Council of Governments’ South Bay Fiber Network dlvr.it/Rv10b7

5th March 2021
AmerCityCounty

Senate American Rescue Plan includes more than $60 million in direct aid for counties dlvr.it/RtzvBK

4th March 2021
AmerCityCounty

ASCE releases 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure dlvr.it/Rtvck5

3rd March 2021
AmerCityCounty

Updating the assessor report: A new approach dlvr.it/RttvDv

3rd March 2021
AmerCityCounty

2020 Crown Communities winner: Phases 2 and 3 of Minot, N.D.’s Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Plan dlvr.it/RtrWMC

3rd March 2021

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X