Section 3

Section of Riggin Widening & Improvement Project: Kelsey St. to Shirk St.

Project Type: Roadway Widening & Improvement

Section Value (Cost): $11,150,000

Section Schedule:

Utility Relocations: January 2025 to June 2025

Roadway Construction: Start Early 2025 to Completed by Summer 2025

Section Summary:

Section 3 of the Riggin Widening Project from Kelsey St to Shirk St will widen the existing street to a four-lane divided roadway, providing bike lanes, drainage improvements, new center medians, streetlights and street landscaping.

The purpose of Section 3 is to increase vehicle capacity on Riggin Avenue by adding additional east/west lanes and to provide for an efficient flow of people and goods in support of the increase in development within the industrial park area. In addition to improved vehicle capacity, this project will also provide for comfortable and safer bicycle facilities in the form of Class IV bike lanes and the construction of a protected intersection at Riggin Ave at Shirk St. These improvements are consistent with the City of Visalia general plan, complete streets policy, and the goals of the City’s adopted Active Transportation Plan.

FAQs:

Why does the pole relocation take so long?

Southern California Edison is the electricity Utility provider who has jurisdiction over the power poles along Riggin Ave, there is a lengthy cost liability, design and construction process that generally can take any where from 12 months to 3 years. In this case a major hurdle is the existing pole at the northwest corner of Riggin Ave and Shirk St will require a large custom built steel pole as a replacement. This pole has an 18-month delivery time.

What is a Class IV bike lane?

A class IV bike lane is a protected bike lane that is characterized by physically protected bike lanes that prevent vehicles from encroaching into the bike lane. This can be achieved by adding a physical barrier between the bike lane and travel lane or elevating the bike lane away from the vehicle travel way.

Why are you building Class IV bike lane on an industrial roadway?

National and state design guidelines provide for recommendation on the type of bicycle facility that should be constructed on a given roadway based on vehicle speed and volumes. This section of Riggin Ave experiences high speed vehicle travel and high number of vehicles as such consistent with applicable guidance a Class IV or protected/separated bike lane is the appropriate facility for this location.

What is a protected intersection?

A protected intersection is an intersection designed to keep bicycle traffic separated from vehicle traffic through an intersection. They are designed to slow down conflict points between vehicles and bikes and provide predictable movements for all modes of travel furthering the safety of all road users.

Contact Information:

Project Manger:

Diego Corvera, PE

Senior Civil Engineer

O: 559-713-4209

C: 916-605-9300

Other Information: Protected intersection Webpage