Title
Connecting Howe Avenue Safety and Mobility Plan: Final Draft
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FileID
File ID: 2026-00382
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Location
Location: District 6
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Recommendation
Recommendation: Pass a Motion to recommend City Council adopt the Connecting Howe Avenue Safety and Mobility Plan Final Draft
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Contact
Contact: Charisse Padilla, Associate Planner, (916) 808-6788, cpadilla@cityofsacramento.org; Jennifer Donlon Wyant, Mobility and Sustainability Division Manager, (916) 808-5913, jdonlonwyant@cityofsacramento.org; Department of Public Works
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Presenter
Presenter: Charisse Padilla, Associate Planner, (916) 808-6788, cpadilla@cityofsacramento.org, Department of Public Works
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Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Final Draft Plan
3-ATC Presentation
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Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue Detail: In July 2024, City staff kicked off the Connecting Howe Avenue Safety and Mobility Plan (Connecting Howe Avenue Plan), which was funded through a competitive Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant. The outcome is a data-driven, community-supported plan that identifies future transportation investments along the Howe Avenue corridor, from Fair Oaks Boulevard to the Power Inn Light Rail Station, to improve safety and access for people walking, biking, rolling, driving, and taking transit. Since its kick-off, the project team has completed the following tasks:
Fall/ Winter 2024: Existing Conditions Analysis and Report
Fall/ Winter 2024: Phase 1 Community Engagement (gather community input about transportation needs, safety concerns, and barriers to destinations)
Spring/ Summer 2025: Alternatives Analysis and Report
Summer 2025: Phase 2 Community Engagement (Alternative recommendations and collect community feedback)
Fall 2025: Develop Public Draft Plan/ Phase 3 Community Engagement (Community review and comment on Public Draft plan based on preferred alternative from Phase 2)
The results from Phase 1 community input and the existing conditions report were evaluated and presented to this Commission in November 2024. The results informed and helped develop the alternative recommendations, which were presented to the community and this Commission for feedback in Phase 2.
Based on public comments from Phase 2 engagement, as well as comments from this Commission in August 2025, the project team developed the Public Draft Plan for community review and feedback (Phase 3). The Public Draft Plan was also presented to Active Transportation Commission for review and comment in October 2025 (Phase 3).
The Connecting Howe Avenue Plan Final Draft was developed with input from area residents, community partners, Active Transportation Commission, and analysis of existing conditions data. The Final Draft Plan includes:
• Adding a shared-use path on the east side of Howe Avenue
• Adding a landscaping buffer with shade trees and lighting on the east side
• Filling sidewalks gaps along the corridor
• Lowering the posted speed limits
• Adding a shared use path through University Park and an enhanced crossing on University Avenue
• Adding signalized crosswalks at US 50 ramp crossings on both sides of Howe Avenue
• Adding a cantilever bridge on the east side of the American River Bridge and the US 50 overpass
The plan will also include additional key elements in response to community input, such as:
• Removing a travel lane in each direction between American River Drive and the American River Bridge
• Speed Diverters north of the University Ave/ American River overpass
• Optical Speed Bars (where appropriate)
• Analysis of additional lane reductions at College Town Drive and the freeway on/off-ramps, as well as study of intersection at La Riviera Drive and College Town Drive
• Adding an at-grade connection south of the river between the shared use path and existing trail connector
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PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations: The 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-1.3 Healthy Transportation System Options. The City shall plan and make investments to foster a transportation system that improves the health of Sacramento residents through actions that make active transportation, nonmotorized modes, high-occupancy, and zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) viable, attractive alternatives to automobiles that use internal combustion engines.
M-1.4 Designing to Move People. In planning, designing, and managing the transportation system, the City shall prioritize person throughput to shift trips to more efficient travel modes and upgrade the performance of limited street space.
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-3. Streets designed and maintained as places that contribute to quality of life.
M-3.2 Street Design. The City shall ensure street design and potential redesign opportunities for existing streets minimize driver speed as appropriate within residential neighborhoods and incorporate street trees wherever possible without compromising connectivity for emergency access or people bicycling, walking, and using mobility devices.
M-4. A safer transportation system.
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.
Additionally, this is in accordance with the following Council approved plans:
Vision Zero: Vision Zero: This plan supports the City’s Vision Zero goals to 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. This corridor is part of the City’s Vision Zero High Injury Network.
Climate Action & Adaptation Plan (CAAP): This plan will support the City’s mode shift goals in the CAAP 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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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 provide for improved active transportation support, to reduce the necessity for trips by automobile and related air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
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Commission/Committee Action
Commission/Committee Action: The action requested is for the Commission to pass a Motion to recommend City Council adopt the Connecting Howe Avenue Safety and Mobility Plan Final Draft.
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RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation: The Connecting Howe Avenue Plan was presented to the Active Transportation Commission in Phase 1 and Phase 2 in November 2024 and August 2025, respectively, for review and comment on community engagement and proposed alternative recommendations. The Connecting Howe Avenue Public Draft Plan was presented to Active Transportation Commission on October 16, 2025 (Phase 3), for review and feedback from the public and Commission.
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FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: Following adoption of this plan, future phases of implementation, such as preliminary engineering design, environmental clearance, final design and construction will require the acquisition of grant funding. The design concepts with more, higher cost features will require greater funding and will likely take longer to realize.
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LocalBusinessEnterprise
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.
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