People traveling near Houston Elementary School in Visalia will see major changes in the roads next year.
Visalia City Council approved the Houston Community Connectivity Project for the West Houston Avenue corridor from North Mooney Boulevard to North Willis Street on May 13. Improvements will also be made to the surrounding streets, including North Rinaldi Street, West Goshen Avenue, West Allen Avenue and North Turner Street.
The project will consist of crossing enhancements, new and retrofitted ADA ramps, buffered bike lanes, mountable traffic calming curbs (corner islands), and the addition of missing sidewalks. Design upgrades will include high visibility sidewalks, pedestrian crossing warning signs, and rectangular rapid flashing beacons.
The project will include new parking spaces on Houston Avenue between the bike lanes and automobile traffic, similar to the recent redesign of Tulare Avenue in the central part of the city.
Project funding is from the Active Transportation Program, which was created by State Senate Bill 99 to encourage increased use of active modes of transportation, such as walking and biking. Funding for the Houston project was approved in December 2022.
A contractor is expected to be selected by January 2027, with construction to begin in April and end three months later.
The project is the result of the efforts of Juntos, a partnership between the parents and students in the Houston community, Neighborhood Church, and the Visalia Unified School District. Juntos, which means “together” in Spanish, was also responsible for the creation of Houston Neighborhood Park in 2015.
Community buy-in
City council approval of the Houston Community Connectivity Project might not have happened without the efforts of Juntos.
“I really like this project because it was led by the parents,” said Vice Mayor Liz Wynn, who then shared comments from the leader of the Juntos group explaining how the project began.
“She said that they brought it to the city because they were concerned about the speed of traffic,” Wynn said. “There had been at least two incidents where a kid was hit but not badly injured, and also the crossing guard at Houston was hit but not badly injured.”
Councilman Brian Poochigian agreed.
“If it wasn’t for the parents’ group, I wouldn’t be supportive,” Poochigian said. “I will be supportive of this because they’re the ones that pushed this. Those are the projects that I like to see, where the neighborhood buys in.”
Mayor Brett Taylor said he supports the project because it increases student safety.
“I love the fact that we’re giving opportunities for people to ride in the streets that are safer than what we’re currently seeing,” he said.
The Houston Community Connectivity Project was approved by a 5-0 vote.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Visalia parents’ efforts lead to safer roads near Houston Elementary School
Reporting by Steve Pastis, Visalia Times-Delta / Visalia Times-Delta
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
