Main intersection near Woodward Park in Fresno is getting a redo. Here’s where and why

A portion of Audubon Drive will be closed for the next month as the city works to upgrade traffic congestion and safety features near Fresno’s Woodward Park.

A 200-foot section of the street will be reconstructed to add a second left turn lane off of Nees Avenue. There will also be a realignment of the curved roadway, installation of new sidewalks, curb and gutters, a reduced width median island and Class II bike lanes through the intersection.

In a news release sent Monday, the city said the lane is designed to reduce traffic backing up along Palm and Nees avenues and add bike lane segments missing through the area.

Construction will begin Thursday and is expected to take four week. Detours will run along Nees Avenue and Friant Road.

The intersection is to the west of where a fatal collision involving a bicyclist and a truck in January 2022 happened at Friant and Audubon that led to additional safety features in the area. A month after the death of Paul Moore, the city began implementing other safety features for cyclists and pedestrians in the area.

Tony Molina, a retired Fresno physician and co-founder of the Safe Access to Woodward Park Coalition, stops by a small memorial for his friend Paul Moore at the corner of Friant Road and Audubon Drive on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022.
Tony Molina, a retired Fresno physician and co-founder of the Safe Access to Woodward Park Coalition, stops by a small memorial for his friend Paul Moore at the corner of Friant Road and Audubon Drive on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022.