San Diego, California. — Construction of the infrastructure needed for the “Slow Street” plan in Downtown San Diego has been completed, the city’s mayor and other officials revealed Tuesday.
San Diego city officials reported that the construction works by placing bollards at intersections along Fifth Avenue to block vehicle traffic and create small, pedestrian-oriented plazas.
“Downtown San Diego recovered from the pandemic faster and stronger than most other cities in the United States, and one of the factors that helped keep our Gaslamp Quarter restaurant and store running was that it was designed to be an attractive outdoor Fifth Avenue was closed to vehicular traffic for construction. attraction,” said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria.
Permanent promenade on Fifth Avenue
The municipal president pointed out that this Tuesday marked an important milestone in the effort to create a permanent place to walk along Fifth Avenue.
Under plans from the San Diego City Council, every block of Fifth Avenue, from Broadway in the north to K Street in the south, will be closed daily to vehicular traffic, creating safer pedestrian walkways.
The closure will take place between 12:00 PM and 02:00 AM, and will not affect cross-street traffic on East and West Streets that connect to Fifth Avenue, according to municipal officials.
Free traffic
Outside of permitted hours, the street will be open to vehicular traffic to allow for services, garbage and recycling collection, and delivery.
Members of the Gaslamp Quarter Association would be responsible for removing the steel bollards daily so that they would be deposited nearby when the street was open to vehicles.
The Fifth Avenue Promenade will foster an active pedestrian environment that is safe and accessible, and highlight the best of downtown San Diego, including its diverse dining, shopping and entertainment venues that are welcoming to locals and visitors alike are,” said Council Member Stephen Whitburn from District 3.
Fifth avenue reform
By the end of 2023, the city hopes to complete a study to assess the feasibility of further proposed improvements along Fifth Avenue, according to data from the San Diego City Council.
Separately, the City of San Diego received a federal “Safer Streets for All” grant earlier this year to develop the “Slower Streets” program and evaluate the criteria for more applications in San Diego.
