The 36-month project, set to begin this summer, includes community engagement through pop-ups, walk audits, and a citywide survey
Santa Monica has been awarded an $875,552 grant from the Southern California Association of Governments to enhance its Neighborhood Greenways project, city officials announced. The funding, approved by the City Council on April 8 will support safety and mobility improvements along Michigan Avenue and establish a new greenway on Washington Avenue.
The grant, part of SCAG’s 2024 Sustainable Communities Program – Active Transportation and Safety, will fund quick-build projects using low-cost, durable materials like paint, bollards, and signage to test safety enhancements for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users. Quick-build projects allow rapid implementation and community feedback before permanent infrastructure is installed.
The Michigan Avenue Neighborhood Greenway (MANGo), launched in 2017, will see upgrades to traffic calming measures, including potential replacements for worn devices. The project builds on prior improvements, such as traffic circles and a 2024 bike and pedestrian connection to the Bergamot Arts Center over the I-10 freeway. Local residents, including Pico neighborhood families and Santa Monica High School students, have reported increased congestion from cut-through traffic, prompting the need for further enhancements.
Washington Avenue, a key corridor linking Northeast and Wilmont neighborhoods, will receive its first neighborhood greenway treatment. The corridor serves Franklin Elementary, Lincoln Middle School, and other community hubs but currently lacks robust safety features despite high participation in walking and biking programs, with 87% and 64% of students at Franklin and Lincoln, respectively, engaging in Bike it! Walk it! events since 2022.
The 36-month project, set to begin this summer, includes community engagement through pop-ups, walk audits, and a citywide survey, alongside data collection and evaluation. SCAG will manage consultant procurement, while the city oversees construction, expected to start in summer or fall 2026.
The project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under Section 15301, as it involves minor roadway alterations like curb extensions, diverters, and improved crosswalks without expanding vehicle capacity.
Santa Monica’s initiative was one of 11 quick-build projects selected from 21 applications evaluated by SCAG, which awarded $8.2 million regionwide. The city’s success has spurred local Assemblymember efforts to expand quick-build strategies to state highways, reflecting growing support for rapid, community-driven infrastructure improvements.
