SACOG funds 2012 Transportation Improvements
SACOG Awards 2012 Bike Projects
January 24, 2012
On Dec 15, the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) gave final approval to $115 million worth of transportation improvement projects for 2012. The 54 projects are spread across all the cities and counties of the 6-county SACOG region. Of the 54 projects, at least 45 of them include substantial bike improvements. Rapidly expanding bicycle infrastructure in our region is critical to increasing the proportion of overall travel that is done by biking.
SACOG funded “Complete street” projects in many cities including Citrus Heights, Galt, Rancho Cordova, Sacramento, Yuba City, Davis, and Woodland. Complete streets have been improved to serve the needs of all types of travelers: pedestrians, transit riders, and bicyclists as well as vehicle users.
SACOG awarded The City of Davis a grant for the first Bicycle Boulevard project in the region. A bike boulevard is a low-volume, low-speed street that has been optimized for bike travel by improvements such as traffic calming and reduction, signage and pavement markings to alert drivers and bike riders, and treatments to ease bicycle crossing at major intersections. Davis’ bike boulevard will include all of these features and will make its important cross-town route comfortable for all ages and abilities of bicyclists. A key measure will be sharrows painted in vehicle lanes to warn motorists about the presence of large numbers of bicyclists.
All 5 projects funded in Sacramento provide substantial benefits for bicyclists; these 5 include building a bike/ped bridge at the Sac City College light rail station to connect to the new Curtis Park Village infill development and rehabilitating Folsom Boulevard near 65th Street to be a complete street. Sacramento County also had many bike projects funded including ones in Fair Oaks Village, on Franklin Boulevard, and at the new Watt Ave at US 50 interchange.
Congratulations to all the projects receiving awards. We greatly appreciate the efforts of SACOG and all the jurisdictions in the region to improve traveling conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians.