A major upgrade on a section of Freedom Boulevard, between Alta Vista Avenue and Green Valley Road, is in its final stage.
The months-long job included fresh asphalt, multi-modal bike lanes, new curbs, sidewalks and gutters (in places), new ADA ramps, a bus pullout at Atkinson Lane to align two new low-income housing projects there, fresh lane and crosswalk striping, a new traffic signal and more.
Patrice Theriot, principal engineer for the City of Watsonville, said the work was completed in phases.
A new traffic signal, at the intersection of Sydney Avenue at Freedom Boulevard, is still on hold, pending arrival of some of the parts. New pedestrian push-button crossing aids are also being installed along the route that feature audio pedestrian signals for greater safety.
Crews were busy Thursday adding fresh white thermal crosswalk striping at several intersections. Theriot said delineators were also replaced in some spots to keep motorists from turning into or out of certain driveways along Freedom Boulevard.
Additionally, numerous streets are getting a new slurry seal, following road surface repairs around the city as part of a City Council priority project. Theriot said those streets include sections of Sydney Avenue, Anna Street, Kralj Drive, Main Street, Blackburn Street, Auto Center Drive, Rogers Avenue, Holm Road and elsewhere. That project, which led to numerous road closures and detours, was expected to wrap up Thursday.
In addition, the repaving and upgrades on South Green Valley Road between Main Street and Silver Leaf Drive has also been completed.
Next in line, Theriot said, will be a similar repaving and upgrade of Green Valley Road between Carey Avenue and Corralitos Creek, just west of Holohan Road.
