Projects & Updates

The city received two Metro grants in 2021 and 2022, totaling $16 million, for improvements on Fremont Avenue and Huntington Drive. The first $6 million grant is from the Measure M Active Transportation Program (MAT), approved in September 2022. The second $10 million grant comes from reallocating Interstate 710 funds through the Measure R program for local mobility improvement projects (MIP), approved in August 2021.

The $6 million MAT grant aims to enhance safety and traffic flow for pedestrians, cyclists, bus riders, and vehicles along Huntington Drive and Fremont Avenue in the City. The project covers a 1.5-mile section of Huntington Drive between Alhambra Road and Garfield Avenue, and a 1.8-mile portion of Fremont Avenue, spanning from Alhambra Road in the south to Columbia Street in the north.

The $10 million MIP grant focuses on enhancing transportation management and demand in the area. It prioritizes improvements related to transportation system management (TSM) and transportation demand management (TDM). The grant aims to upgrade local intersections, traffic signals, and intelligent transportation systems (ITS) along Fremont Avenue and Huntington Drive. Additionally, it targets improvements at the intersections of Fair Oaks Avenue and Huntington Drive, as well as Fremont Avenue and Huntington Drive. These enhancements are designed to alleviate congestion, reduce traffic conflicts, improve overall corridor mobility for various transportation modes, enhance safety, and address equipment malfunctions that lead to delays along these corridors.

The staff at Toole Design have developed a charrette approach that is well suited to the needs of the three corridors in South Pasadena (i.e., Fair Oaks Avenue, Freemont Avenue, and Huntington Drive). The charrette process is comprised of the “Four D’s” that include: discovery, design & discussion, and documentation. We have found this process to be effective for projects when there is a desire to solve complicated planning and design issues, in a relatively short time, that involve a diverse set of stakeholders and interests.

During a charrette, findings and recommendations are developed collaboratively and with short feedback loops, which keep the project’s progress moving forward. This is an important aspect of being able to complete the street concepts in a compact timeframe.

The charrette invites participation and openness. Stakeholders, designers, City staff, and, in some cases, City Councilmembers/Commissioners, are in direct contact with each other, and resolve issues readily and transparently. Transparency between all parties provide confidence that the participants’ values, concerns, and aspirations are being heard.

The charrette process rapidly sets the course for a common understanding of the challenges at hand and the potential solutions. The process is helpful in generating a shared vocabulary and appreciation for varying perspectives and assuaging incorrect perceptions (e.g. misunderstandings, incorrect assumptions, or unfounded rumors about plans, traffic conditions, the hardness of constraints, best practices, etc.) Charrette participants quickly gain an appreciation of the different perspectives that others bring to the table, and our team helps them to focus their energies on constructive work towards solutions of lasting value.

Assembling team members (and stakeholders) in a highly focused effort located somewhere in vicinity of the three corridors will produce a high level of concentration and productivity. Reviewing the projects for the three corridors simultaneously also allows for: (1) a broader breadth of talent on the design team; (2) efficiencies in travel, administration, and Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QAQC) tasks; (3) appreciation of the values that pertain to the three corridors and the city as a whole; and (4) a design consistency between the three corridors where overlaps occur (e.g., bike accommodations, equity components, bulbout design, transit accommodation, etc.)

Because stakeholders are an integral part of the charrette process, they develop “ownership” in the results. This increases the momentum behind the effort and the probability of successful implementation.

Help shape the vision for the streets by joining us at the Library Community Room (1115 El Centro Street) to provide input:

• Input & Visioning: Monday 09/25, 6:00pm - 7:45pm
• Starter Ideas: Thursday 09/28, 6:00pm - 7:45pm
• Concepts & Feedback: Thursday 10/19, 6:00pm - 7:45pm

Stop by anytime during Open Studio sessions at the Library Community Room on the dates and times below, to meet with the design team & check out their work:

• Open Studio 1: Tuesday 09/26, 4:00pm - 6:00pm
• Open Studio 2: Tuesday 10/17, 4:00pm - 6:00pm

Join us at the Mobility Transportation and Infrastructure Commission to hear from the consultants on this project:

• Engagement Session: October 17, 2023 at 6:30pm in the City Council Chambers (1414 Mission Street) or Zoom

For any questions or concerns, please contact us at (626)-403-3370 or email us at pwservicerequest@southpasadenaca.gov.