PRESS RELEASE
City of Porterville
291 N. Main Street
Porterville, CA 93257
For more information contact:
Yuriko Velarde, Administrative Analyst
yvelarde@ci.porterville.ca.us
October 27, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CITY OF PORTERVILLE RECEIVES $1.5 MILLION ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM GRANT
The City of Porterville has been awarded a $1.5 million grant for its High-intensity Activated crossWalK (HAWK) Pedestrian Crossings Project, which will install three traffic control signals used to stop traffic and allow pedestrians to cross arterial streets safely. The grant was awarded by the California Transportation Commission through the Active Transportation Program (ATP), which was created by California Senate Bill 99 to encourage increased use of active modes of transportation, such as walking and biking.
The HAWK Pedestrian Crossings Project will encompass two different locations to enhance safe crossing opportunities for pedestrians. The Santa Fe Byway, a converted former right-of-way of the San Joaquin Valley Railroad that runs north to south, approximately 1/4 mile east of Downtown Porterville will be the first project area. The project at this location consists of the design and installation of two HAWK systems at trail crossings on Olive and Morton Avenues to improve safety conditions for the facility’s non-motorized users as pedestrians cross the four-lane arterial roadways. The second area of the project is on Plano Street at Chase Avenue, and includes the design and installation of a HAWK pedestrian crossing to improve access to the Tule River Parkway and Fallen Heroes Park and increase mobility for non-motorized travelers that live east of Plano Street. To provide a continuous path of travel, 128 linear feet of curb, gutter and sidewalk improvements will be installed to close a gap in existing infrastructure on the east side of Plano, south of the Plano Street Bridge. The HAWK systems will provide safe crossing opportunities for pedestrians and help prevent accidents.
