Title
Arden Way-Auburn Blvd Mobility Plan - Phase 2
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FileID
File ID: 2026-01161
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Location
Location: Arden Way (from Del Paso Boulevard to Ethan Way) and Auburn Boulevard / Harvard Street (from Marconi Circle to Arden Way), District 2
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Recommendation
Recommendation: Review and comment.
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Contact
Contact: Nicole Zhi Ling Porter, Senior Planner, (916) 808-8519, nporter@cityofsacramento.org; Liza Welsh, Associate Planner, (916) 808-5347, lwelsh@cityofsacramento.org; Department of Public Works; Jennifer Donlon Wyant, Division Manager, (916)-808-5913, jdonlonwyant@cityofsacramento.org; Department of Public Works
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Presenter
Presenter: Liza Welsh, Associate Planner, (916) 808-5347, lwelsh@cityofsacramento.org; Department of Public Works
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Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Map of Arden Way-Auburn Boulevard Mobility Plan Area
3-Concepts and Treatment Toolbox for the Arden Way-Auburn Boulevard Mobility Plan
4-Presentation
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Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue Detail: The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) awarded the City funding through a competitive Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant to develop the Arden Way-Auburn Boulevard Mobility Plan. The planning effort was initiated in July 2025, and work with the consultant team began in November 2025 to evaluate and reimagine travel along Arden Way (between Del Paso Boulevard and Ethan Way) and Auburn Boulevard/Harvard Street (between Arden Way and Marconi Avenue). In accordance with Caltrans grant requirements, the final plan must be approved by City Council by Spring 2027.
Plan Overview:
Arden Way and Auburn Boulevard are part of the City's Vision Zero High Injury Network; this means they experience some of the highest number of fatal and serious crashes in Sacramento. The plan will identify safety, mobility, and access improvements for people who walk, bike, ride transit, and drive in the area. It also aims to address community-identified concerns, support future housing and job growth, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This effort will result in a community-driven plan that includes conceptual designs to address planning goals as well as identify potential quick build and near-term opportunities.
Prior Work (Phase 1):
During Phase 1 of this planning effort, the project team completed an existing conditions analysis and heard from community members about their experiences traveling in the project area.
Existing conditions data shows that: people walking and biking represent an outsized proportion of fatal and serious crashes; the two streets are generally “uncomfortable”, high-stress settings for people walking, biking, rolling, and taking transit in the area; and the project corridors are efficient for people driving. Community members shared feedback in Spring 2026 that vehicle speeds and dangerous driving make the corridors feel unsafe for people walking or rolling, and infrastructure gaps such as sidewalks, lighting, road/ramp crossings, and bike facilities are priority concerns.
Current Work (Phase 2):
In Spring 2026, the project team developed early draft concepts to improve safety, mobility, and access along Arden Way and Auburn Boulevard based on findings from Phase 1. Traffic analysis has not been completed for these draft concepts; results from future traffic analysis and community feedback received in Phase 2 will help the project team refine and develop a proposed design.
Draft Concepts for Arden Way (Del Paso Boulevard to Exposition Boulevard):
• Concept 1: Road Diet with Two-Way Separated Bikeways:
o This concept reduces one vehicle lane in each direction of Arden Way and adds a two-way separated bikeway on the south side of Arden Way for the entire length of the study area (Del Paso Boulevard to Ethan Way). It also: repurposes an eastbound through lane under the Interstate Business 80 overpass to create space for the bikeway; includes space for a two-way left-turn lane and left-turn pockets at intersections along Arden Way between Del Paso Boulevard and Evergreen Street; closes all sidewalk gaps; and adds street trees and landscaping.
• Concept 2: Road Diet with One-Way Separated Bikeways:
o This concept reduces one vehicle lane in each direction of Arden Way and adds a one-way separated bikeway on each side of the road, for the entire length of the study area (Del Paso Boulevard to Ethan Way). It also: repurposes an eastbound through lane under the Interstate Business 80 overpass to create space for the bikeways; includes space for a two-way left-turn lane and left-turn pockets at intersections along Arden Way between Del Paso Boulevard and Evergreen Street; closes all sidewalk gaps; and adds street trees and landscaping.
• Concept 3: One-Way Separated Bikeways and Shared Use Path:
o This concept keeps the same number of vehicle travel lanes along Arden Way. It adds one-way separated bikeways on both sides of Arden Way between Del Paso Boulevard and Harvard Street, and a two-way separated bikeway under the Interstate Business 80 overpass; bollards and striping provide separation between people walking and people driving. Between the freeway underpass and Ethan Way, the existing sidewalk on the north side of Arden Way (closest to Arden Fair Mall) would be widened to create a shared-space for people walking, biking, and rolling. This concept also includes: adding a raised curb between Oxford Street and Royal Oaks Drive to restrict conflicting turning movements into unsignalized side streets; repurposing an eastbound through lane under the Interstate Business 80 overpass to create space for the two-way separated bikeway; and closing all sidewalk gaps.
Draft Concepts for Harvard Street/Auburn Boulevard (Arden Way to Marconi Circle):
• Concept 1: One-Way Separated Bikeways:
o Harvard Street: This concept reduces one vehicle lane in each direction, removes on-street parking, and adds a one-way separated bikeway on both sides of Harvard Street; the bikeways between Silica Avenue and Frienza Avenue would be standard bike lanes. This concept includes space for a two-way left-turn lane and left-turn pockets at intersections along Harvard Street.
o Auburn Boulevard: This concept maintains existing vehicle travel lanes, removes on-street parking, and adds a one-way separated bikeway on both sides of the street. This concept closes all sidewalk gaps, adds street trees and landscaping, and adds a landscaped median. It also proposes a roundabout at the intersection of Auburn Boulevard and Frienza Avenue.
• Concept 2: Two-Way Separated Bikeways
o Harvard Street: This concept reduces one vehicle lane in each direction between Arden Way and Silica Avenue, removes on-street parking, and adds a two-way separated bikeway on the west side of Harvard Street (closest to the railroad tracks). Between Silica Avenue and Frienza Avenue, the two-way bikeway does not have a planter separating it from vehicle traffic; it provides a vertical separation by being set at a higher elevation than the vehicle travel lane next to it. This concept includes space for a two-way left-turn lane and left-turn pockets at intersections along Harvard Street.
o Auburn Boulevard: This concept maintains existing vehicle travel lanes and removes on-street parking between Frienza Avenue and Marconi Circle. It adds a landscaped median and a two-way separated bikeway along the west side of the street (closest to the railroad tracks). This concept closes all sidewalk gaps and adds street trees and landscaping. It also proposes a roundabout at the intersection of Auburn Boulevard and Frienza Avenue.
Treatment Toolbox:
The project team also developed a “treatment toolbox” with different spot treatment improvements that can be applied to various locations along each street, regardless of which draft concepts move forward. Many of these treatments can be implemented with cost-effective materials to quickly improve safety in the near term. Examples of spot treatments in the toolbox include: high visibility crosswalks that increase driver awareness of people crossing the street; raised crossings that reduce vehicle speeds; reduced vehicle travel lane widths that slow down travel speeds, and signalized pedestrian crossings that provide a push button-activated traffic signal for people walking or biking across the street.
Community Engagement:
The second round of community engagement began in early May to gather feedback on draft concepts and treatment toolbox improvements. Engagement efforts for this phase are summarized below.
• Focus Group Meetings
o Business groups and interests: May 11, 3:00pm
o Community organizations: May 12, 3:00pm
• Presentations to Neighborhood Associations
o D2 Neighborhood Association Presidents Meeting: May 7, 6:00pm
o Ben Ali Community Association: May 13 and June 3, 6:30pm
o Hagginwood Community Association: June 3, 7:00pm
o Del Paso Heights Community Association: June 6, 9:30am
(pending confirmation)
• Community Workshop
o Held in-person on Wednesday, May 20 from 5:30 - 7:00pm
o Hosted on the project corridor at the Hilton Arden West
o Promoted through direct mailers, door hangers to residents, social media, personal notifications to apartment complexes, and the project database.
• Pop-up Workshops
o Swanston Light Rail Station: June 2, 7:00am - 9:00am
o Celebrate Old North Sacramento Festival: June 6, 12:00pm - 4:00pm
• Online Workshop
o Hosted virtually on Konveio
o Shared directly with neighborhood associations, focus group representatives, and District Two staff.
o Comment period open from May 19 through June 13.
Staff are seeking Commission input on the improvements presented in the draft concepts and treatment toolbox.
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PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations: The planning project is consistent with specific Sacramento 2040 General Plan goals and policies of promoting mobility, safety and enhancing livability, sustainability, and economic vitality:
M-1: An equitable, sustainable multimodal system that provides a range of viable and healthy travel choices for users of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.
M-1.2 User Prioritization. The City shall prioritize mobility, comfort, health, safety, and convenience for those walking, followed by those bicycling and riding transit, ahead of design and operations for those driving.
M-1.9 Equitable Processes and Outcomes. The City shall ensure that the transportation system is planned and implemented with an equitable process to achieve equitable outcomes and investments so that all neighborhoods one day will have similar levels of transportation infrastructure such as sidewalks, marked low stress crossings, and bikeways.
M-4.1 Application of Safety. The City shall design, plan, and operate streets using complete streets principles to ensure the safety and mobility of all users.
M-4.2 Safer Driving Speeds. The City shall work to maximize the safety of the transportation network by designing streets for lower driving speeds and enforcing speed limits in an unbiased manner as well as promoting safer driving behavior.
M-4.3 Vision Zero. The City shall utilize a data driven, “vision zero” approach to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries by 2027, while increasing safety, health, and equitable mobility for all.
M-4.4 Collaborative Safety Solutions. The City shall collaborate with educational institutions, senior living facilities, community organizations, and other interested parties when developing and implementing programs and improvements that increase safety and encourage the use of active transportation and transit modes.
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EconomicImpacts
Economic Impacts: None.
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EnvironmentalConsiderations
Environmental Considerations: This transportation planning study is exempt from the requirements of CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15262, Feasibility and Planning Studies. Section 15262 exempts projects involving only feasibility or planning studies for possible future actions, which have not been approved, adopted, or funded. It is anticipated that future projects identified in this plan may be subject to environmental evaluation under CEQA guidelines and possibly National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements.
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Sustainability
Sustainability: The plan will support the City’s mode shift goals in the Climate Action & Adaptation Plan to achieve 6% active transportation mode share by 2030 and 12% by 2045, as well as support public transit improvements to achieve 11% public transit mode share by 2030 and maintain through 2045.
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Commission/Committee Action
Commission/Committee Action: The project was previously presented to the Active Transportation Commission on Thursday March 12, 2026. The presentation introduced the project and covered Existing Conditions in the Study Area.
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RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation: Sacramento continues to rank as one of the cities with the highest number of traffic fatalities per capita in California. The City has made a commitment to address this issue through its Vision Zero program and investing in the Vision Zero Top 10 corridors. Arden Way and Auburn Boulevard are in the top 10 and on the high injury networks, respectively. This planning effort will establish a vision for these corridors that improve safety and mobility.
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FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: Following future adoption of this plan, future phases of implementation will require the acquisition of grant funding.
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LocalBusinessEnterprise
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.
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