Improvements on Pacific Coast Highway will designate Class II bike lanes and upgrade roadway to reduce Bicycle Accidents and Serious Injury.
The California Transportation Commission has allotted $700 million for transportation infrastructure, restoration, and modification. Huntington Beach will benefit from this allocation with $14.8 million worth of upgrades to its transportation systems and bicycle access routes.
Along Pacific Coast Highway (SR-1) between the Santa Ana River Bridge and Anderson Street, Class II bike lanes will be added in both directions. These eight-foot wide lanes provide exclusive bike use with the exception of vehicular parking and crossways. Additionally, cyclists will benefit from a number of upgrades being planned with them in mind.
According to Caltrans, the SR-1 Bike Lane Project would include the “widening of right-turn pockets, widening of existing shoulders, and reducing median island widths to accommodate bike lane treatments; removing existing sand deposits along the roadway; installing a concrete center median barrier; replacing and refreshing lane and shoulder striping; implementing bicyclist detection sensors at signalized intersections; upgrading curb side grated inlets to be bike-rated; and installing signage from Anderson Street to Santa Ana River Bridge;” all part of Caltrans’ Complete Streets directive.
Caltrans HQ Traffic Safety investigations revealed that Huntington Beach has a higher than state average number of bicycle accidents along SR-1. The upgrades come in an effort to reduce “bicyclist fatalities and serious injuries on the California State Highway System.” Upgrading guardrails at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve and the relocation of some traffic signals and lighting poles in specific areas are also part of the plan.
These upgrades would begin in Winter 2025.
