Riggin Widening & Improvement Project

The Riggin Avenue Widening & Improvement Project approved by the Visalia City Council in September 2022 and is currently underway.

Learning About the Project

The Riggin Widening & Improvement Project is made up of four sections in order to complete various parts of Riggin Avenue at different times in an attempt to minimize impact to residents and motorists.

The Project will widen the existing street to a four-lane divided roadway, providing bike lanes, a local frontage road, sidewalks, drainage improvements, new center medians, streetlights and street landscaping.

The first section of construction for the Riggin Widening and Improvement Project (from Akers Street to Demaree Street, also known as Section 1) is complete, and has moved into work from Mooney Boulevard to Conyer Street (Section 2) as of February 2025. This section includes the addition of a Frontage Road (see more on that below).

The next phases will be from Kelsey Street to Shirk Road (Section 3), and finally from Shirk Road to Akers Street (Section 4).

The purpose of this Project 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 surrounding area.

In addition to improved vehicle capacity, this project will also provide for comfortable and safer bicycle facilities in the form of buffered Class II bike lanes and the construction of a protected intersection at Riggin Avenue at Giddings Street. 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.

Project Updates - Mooney to Conyer (Section 2)

February 3, 2025: The Riggin Widening & Improvement Project continues with Mooney Boulevard to Conyer Street, Section 2 of the project. Roadway construction is now underway, with crews working from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Phase 1 of this work will be the northside of Riggin Avenue, with lane shifts in place by mid-February. The intersection at Riggin Avenue at Giddings Street will remain open much of the time. Local streets Conyer, Turner, Rinaldi, Divisadero and Dayton will be restricted to turns in and out only. 

The Riggin Frontage Road

Work between Mooney Boulevard and Conyer Street will widen the existing undivided 2-lane roadway into a 4-lane divided roadway consisting of landscaped median islands, incorporated bike lanes and four travel lanes. 

With this widening project the City will incorporate a local frontage road along the southside of Riggin Avenue between Divisadero Street and Conyer Street.

The City of Visalia has completed the public outreach efforts for the frontage road proposal along Riggin Avenue between Mooney Boulevard and Conyer Street. Nearly 80% of public respondents supported the frontage road, with none of the respondents who are directly affected by the frontage road disapproving of the proposal. 

Considering the overwhelming support for the frontage road, staff proceeded with the incorporation of the frontage road into the project’s design as proposed. Utility pole relocation was completed and construction is now underway as of February 2025.

What is a frontage road? A frontage road is a local street designed and constructed parallel to a higher volume higher speed roadway referred to as arterial or collector street; Riggin Avenue is classified as an arterial street.  The function of a frontage road is to separate residential or local traffic from the higher speed and often regional traffic that the adjacent arterial street would carry. 

Frontage roads provide residents that face an arterial street a local street configuration to enter and exit their homes; this eliminates the sometimes tedious or stressful operation of exiting and entering one’s home on to an arterial street that has high-speed and high-volume traffic.

Riggin Avenue is also a designated truck route, so not only do fronting residents need to be aware of the high speed and high-volume cars and truck that travel along Riggin Avenue but also be aware of large semi-trucks that may be using the arterial street. Below is an example of a frontage road in Fresno, CA:

The proposed frontage road will physically separate the fronting residents between, Divisadero Street to Conyer Street, from Riggin Avenue using a concrete median curb. 

This separation will prevent the fronting residents from accessing Riggin Avenue directly.  The frontage road will be configured as a one-way street, allowing for a 10 foot travel lane and 7 feet for on street parking. This one-way configuration will require fronting residents to travel through the local neighborhood to access Riggin Avenue or to travel north.  Some on-street parking will be eliminated to incorporate emergency “fire bays,” these are necessary to allow fire trucks to access the fronting homes in the event of an emergency.

Benefits include separation from high-speed roadway, the arterial street has fewer interruptions allowing for the smoother movement of people and goods and fronting residential homes have access to a safer local street.