MONTEREY COUNTY - The Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) announced that the California Transportation Commission (CTC) has allocated $12.04 million in Active Transportation funds for the City of Seaside’s “Broadway Avenue Complete Street Corridor” project. This funding will be matched with $1.02 million from TAMC and $940 thousand in local Measure X funds to redesign Broadway Avenue to address safety concerns including speeding and collisions along this corridor that is frequently used by children and seniors. 

 The project was identified in the Safe Routes to School Plan developed by the  Transportation Agency for Monterey County, Monterey County Health Department, Ecology Action and the Cities of Seaside and Marina and adopted in February 2020.  Lessons learned and public feedback from the 2019 pop-up demonstration installed adjacent to Martin Luther King Jr school was used to study the project improvements. TAMC staff assisted the City with writing the grant application to secure the project funding which includes design and construction of roadway improvements, and walking and biking education programs for the community.

 The 1.3-mile project will transform Broadway Avenue from Fremont Boulevard to General Jim Moore Boulevard from a 4-lane roadway plagued by speeding and collisions to a walkable and comfortable 2‐lane roadway with curb extensions, buffered and protected bike facilities, roundabouts, and Safe Routes to School improvements. A portion of Yosemite Ave will also be improved to make it safer and more comfortable for people of all ages and abilities to walk and bicycle. 

Broadway Avenue and Yosemite Avenue were identified in the Safe Routes to School Plan as important corridors serving four of the seven elementary schools in Seaside.  Over the past decade, 13.5% of all bicycle and pedestrian collisions in Seaside occurred within the project area.

“This is wonderful news,” said Seaside’s Mayor Ian Oglesby. He went on to say, “this project is a transformation for the city. It will make safer routes for students to get to school and for seniors to traverse their neighborhoods. It will also, improve the downtown corridor look and feel increasing our businesses district growth opportunities!”

Supervisor Wendy Root-Askew, whose district includes the City of Seaside, responded to the allocation by saying, “One of my greatest concerns as a Supervisor is the safety of the children in our community. Safe streets and welcoming sidewalks improve the physical and mental health of our kids and families and seniors, building stronger more connected communities. This is a huge WIN for Seaside, benefiting current and future generations of pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists who travel up and down Broadway Avenue.”

Obtaining the $12.04 million-dollar grant is the culmination of the in-depth collaboration between the Transportation Agency and the City of Seaside.  The project will build on the recently completed West Broadway Urban Village development funded through the Active Transportation Program to provide a continuous and safe corridor for bicyclists and pedestrians connecting residents to jobs and shopping on the west end and schools and affordable housing for families and seniors on the east end.

It will also create the only continuous citywide east-west dedicated bicycle lane in Seaside which will serve as a strong backbone for future safe bicycling and walking infrastructure projects throughout the city.  Construction on the project is anticipated to begin in 2023.

For more information, about the Broadway Avenue Complete Street Project Contact Seaside Public Works Director Nisha Patel at npatel@ci.seaside.ca.us or 831-899-6884 or the Safe Routes to School Program, contact Ariana Green, Senior Transportation Planner, TAMC at ariana@tamcmonterey.org or 831-775-4403.

                                                                       ###

 “The Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) is responsible for investing in regional transportation projects for Monterey County residents, businesses and visitors.  The mission of TAMC is to develop and maintain a multimodal transportation system that enhances mobility, safety, access, environment quality and economic activities in Monterey County. For more information visit www.tamcmonterey.org or call 831.775.0903.”

 The ”Safe Route to School” is a TAMC program which offers tools, programming, and resources to schools, guardians, and communities aimed at improving safety and traffic around schools. The program’s goal is to keep every child safe and healthy by reducing the number of students involved in collisions to zero. For more information visit https://saferoutesmonterey.org

Photos of the Broadway Avenue Pop-up Street Demonstration