Improvements for all users of the road are planned for Higuera Street. Select curb ramps along the corridor will be upgraded to meet current ADA standards and new ladder style crosswalks will be added at select locations. Current bike lanes will be upgraded to protected bike lanes with concrete separation along the corridor with gaps where there are driveways. In addition, traffic signals and pavement quality will be upgraded for all users of the road. 

The Parker Street access to Higuera is proposed for closure to increase safety for all modes of travel, which will also provide space for a pedestrian plaza.

 The project will add a number of enhancements to Higuera Street from South to Bridge. Currently, bicycles heading south must share a vehicular lane close to the center of the street in order to travel through the intersection with Madonna. The project will improve bicycle circulation by making travel through the intersection by reducing conflict points for vehicles including adding more dedicated space for bicycle travel including wider bike lanes, bicycle turn boxes, and green pavement.  For walking, the project will add ladder style crosswalks and reduced areas where there is exposure to crossing vehicles. The project will also include upgrades to traffic signals and pavement quality for the benefit of all road users.

The 50 Higuera Project is a separate project from the Higuera Complete Streets Project because it is funded in part through a Federal Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) grant. This project focuses on improving safety by adding a center turn lane on Higuera Street between Bridge Street and Elks Lane to reduce collisions related to left turns.

While separate, the 50 Higuera Project is an important early step that helps make the future Higuera Complete Streets Project possible. By reconfiguring the roadway to include a center turn lane and restriping the two (2) existing northbound traffic lanes on Higuera Street between Elks Lane and Bridge Street to one (1) through traffic lane and one (1) one center turn lane, it implements part of the planned “road diet” in advance and allows the larger Complete Streets improvements to move forward as planned.

Pending Council approval, both projects would be advertised for construction in winter of 2026. The 50 Higuera Widening Project would start construction in spring 2026 and be completed early summer 2026, ahead of the Higuera Complete Streets Project.

50 Higuera (Existing)

50 Higuera (with Widening Project)

50 Higuera (with Higuera Complete Streets)

This segment will feature a roadway reconfiguration including reducing one lane of travel in each direction in order to provide a center turn lane to promote safety and better operation of motor vehicle traffic. A protected bike lane will also be added as well as crosswalk and ADA curb ramp improvements. 

 The project will incorporate a new signalized intersection at Elks Lane and is planned to incorporate the future protected intersection at Higuera/Prado.

Note: Concrete median separation of the bike lane is proposed as a bid additive and will be included if funding allows and supported by the City Council. 

Higuera Street between Las Praderas and Suburban will feature widened bike lanes. Due to roadway width constraints, protected bike lanes are not possible on this segment. However, continuous green pavement will provided added visibility. In addition, traffic signals and pavement quality will be upgraded for all users of the road. 

Buffered bike lanes are planned for this segment of Higuera Street along with the addition of ladder style crosswalks at intersections and signal improvements.

 The Madonna Road overpass of US 101 belongs to Caltrans, who must review and approve any proposed roadway changes. The roadway currently features narrow bike lanes in both directions and a sidewalk on the south side of the bridge. Based on Caltrans design standards there is not sufficient roadway width to provide protected/buffered bike lanes while maintaining required auto lane widths. The current design approach is to retain the current striped bike lanes but with addition of green pavement markings and maximizing bike lane width where feasible, while continuing to coordinate with Caltrans on the possibility of a protected bikeway facility in the future.

Below is a conceptual layout of the Madonna overpass of US 101. The complete set of conceptual layout plans can be found at the bottom of the project page.

Madonna Road east of the US 101 overpass will convert bike lanes to protected bike lanes leading to the intersection of Higuera.

The project will also include a neighborhood greenway connecting Higuera Street to eastbound destinations following Bridge St to Broad Street via Exposition Dr , Corrida Rd  and Woodbridge where there is an existing pedestrian hybrid beacon. The neighborhood greenway will also connect northbound on King St where a pedestrian hybrid beacon is forthcoming at the intersection of South Street. 

 Features of the neighborhood greenway include a number of elements to promote pedestrian and bicycle transportation as well as neighborhood enhancements. These include ladder style crosswalks, improved access to Meadow Park, quick build bulbouts, an all-way stop, and speed humps.

 Click here for more detailed plans of the  proposed neighborhood greenway.

Traffic operations were evaluated using current traffic volumes, near-term volumes, and cumulative (“long-term”) volumes to determine the project’s effects on vehicle delay and queuing. Based on the analysis, the intersection at Madonna Road will operate within the City’s operational thresholds under all scenarios with the project-related changes.

Roadway reconfigurations (also known as road diets) typically convert a four-lane undivided road to a three-lane undivided road made up of two through lanes and a center turn lane to help with vehicles making left turns. Research from the Federal Highway Administration indicates that roadway reconfigurations can result in a reduction of collisions from 19 to 47 percent. 

 Generally, road diets may be appropriate when two-way peak hour volumes are below 1,750 vehicles per hour. The graphs below show current and cumulative (“long-term”) evening peak hour volumes for the project corridor. In San Luis Obispo, the evening peak hour is typically the hour with most traffic. Under both scenarios, the segments between Madonna Road and Prado Road all carry less than 1,750 vehicles per hour during the evening peak hour.

For the intersections on this segment, traffic operations were evaluated using current traffic volumes, near-term volumes, and cumulative (“long-term”) volumes to determine the project’s effects on vehicle delay and queuing. Based on the analysis, installing a road diet between Bridge Street and Margarita Avenue would not induce inconsistencies with the City’s adopted operational thresholds. In addition, a road diet was also considered from south of Margarita Avenue to Tank Farm Road but was ultimately removed from the project scope due to potential inconsistencies with the City’s operational thresholds.

 For the rest of the project area, bicycle and pedestrian facilities are accommodated within the existing right-of-way without removing vehicle lanes or changing signal timings. Therefore, the project will have a negligible effect on traffic operations and will be consistent with the City’s adopted traffic operations policies.