$3 million more in sidewalks, road upgrades planned for El Rio community
El Rio residents are getting more sidewalks and bike lanes.
The Oxnard City Council unanimously approved a nearly $3 million project Tuesday that will connect existing sidewalks and add bike lanes on Ventura Boulevard between Alvarado Street and the Santa Clara Chapel near Highway 101.
"This is a tremendous project that's going to benefit the community," Councilman Bert Perello said Tuesday.
The project will also add storm drains and other improvements. Construction will begin in January and end in April, according to a staff report.
Oxnard's border slightly reaches into the unincorporated neighborhood.
About $2.3 million of the project's price tag is covered by a state Transportation Development Act grant and two federal grants obtained through the Ventura County Transportation Commission, City Engineer Tatiana Arnaout said Tuesday. The city will pay the remaining costs.
Both Oxnard and Ventura County are currently working to add more sidewalks and road upgrades to the area.
The city originally planned to extend the upgrades farther west to Balboa Street but rising construction and labor costs postponed that portion of the project to spring 2024, Arnaout said.
Separately, the county is also expected to begin an almost $7 million project in May 2024 that would add sidewalks, about 2 miles of bike lanes and other pedestrian upgrades between Rose and Vineyard avenues.
“There aren’t very many sidewalks there, so this is the first small step to addressing that issue,” Arnaout said.
To make room for the improvements, Oxnard will cut into a parking area used by residents of the Royal Duke Mobile Home Park. Arnaout said about 60 cars can currently park in the dirt between the mobile home park and Ventura Boulevard. After construction, about 48 parking spots will remain.
The project, identified in the city's Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, aims to facilitate pedestrian and bicyclist traffic between Vineyard and Rose avenues.
Arnaout said the next project in the plan is to add a bike lane on Oxnard Boulevard from Gonzales Road north to the Wagon Wheel area. A timeframe and a cost estimate has yet to be set for the project.
Brian J. Varela covers Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Camarillo. He can be reached at brian.varela@vcstar.com or 805-477-8014. You can also find him on Twitter @BrianVarela805.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Oxnard's El Rio community to get more sidewalks, bike lanes
