Bristol Street Corridor Improvements

Bristol Street is classified as a north-south major Arterial per the City’s General Plan Circulation Element and the County of Orange’s Master Plan of Arterial Highway. Due to growth experienced during the late 1980s resulting in traffic congestion and safety concern with lack of bike lane, the City proposed to improve Bristol Street to provide adequate vehicular capacity from Warner Avenue to Memory Lane. In 1991, the City Council approved the 3.9-mile improvement of the Bristol Street Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Bristol Street Corridor Specific Plan.

Since the adoption of the EIR and the specific plan, approaches to transportation networks have changed. The project plan has been modified to incorporate Complete Streets standards, including adherence to the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan with wider sidewalks and landscaped buffers for pedestrians and bike lanes. These improvements will result in greater safety and mobility for all users, improve traffic flow and enhance streetscape aesthetics.

Corridor Project Scope, Funding, & Status

• Civic Center Drive to Washington Avenue (Phase 3A)

  • Scope: Improvements include increasing street capacity from four lanes to six lanes with three through lanes in each direction, 6-foot wide Class IV Protected Bike Lane on each side of the roadway; 6-foot wide parkway, 8-foot wide sidewalk, 14-foot wide raised median, and approximate 8-foot wall where needed. The City has coordinated with telecommunication companies and Southern California Edison to relocate the overhead cables.  The telecommunication companies have completed their underground relocation scope.  Southern California Edison is currently performing this work.
  • Funding: OCTA Gas Tax, OCTA Measure M2 Grant, Federal Funds, and a variety of local funds.
  • Status: This segment is currently in the construction stage.  See Public Works webpage for complete project schedule. Southern California Edison will complete their work in the 3^rd Quarter of 2025.

• Warner Avenue to St. Andrew Place (Phase 4)

  • Scope: Improvements include increasing street capacity from four lanes to six lanes with three through lanes in each direction, 6-foot wide Class IV Protected Bike Lane on each side of the roadway; 6-foot wide parkway, 8-foot wide sidewalk, 14-foot wide raised median, and approximate 8-foot wall where needed. Improvements also include relocating the overhead cables underground, which will be performed by the City’s contractor.
  • Funding: OCTA Gas Tax, and OCTA Measure M2 grant, Federal funds, and a variety of local funds.
  • Status: This segment is currently in the construction stage and construction is scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2025.  See Public Works webpage for complete project schedule.

• 1st Street to Civic Center Drive (Phase 5)

  • Scope: Improvements include width reduction of three through lanes in each direction from 12’ to 11’ lanes and addition of 6-foot wide Class IV protected bike lanes on each side of the roadway.
  • Funding: OCTA Measure M2 grants and Federal funds.
  • Status: This segment is currently in the preliminary engineering phase and construction is tentatively scheduled to start in late 2026.  See Public Works webpage for complete project schedule.  

• Bristol Street and Memory Lane Intersection Widening

  • Scope: Improvements include adding a third southbound through lane just north of Memory Lane. This additional through lane would result in the relocation of the existing dedicated right-turn lane slightly west.  The additional through lane would add an additional 11’ to the street width from 100’ to 111’.  The improvements include relocating the sidewalk to the west to accommodate the additional through lane, constructing raised median retaining wall, and traffic signal modification.
  • Funding: State Gas Tax, OCTA Measure M2 grant, and City Area Fee.
  • Status: This segment is currently in the final design phase, and construction is scheduled to start in summer 2025. See Public Works webpage for complete project schedule .

   

The project objectives include, but is not limited to, the following:

• Increase safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorist.
• Improve storm water drainage, water quality, and air quality.
• Greater public access with ADA improvements and dedicated bike lanes.
• Enhanced community beautification with significant public investment.
• Reduce traffic congestion and provide traffic calming.

Project Benefits

The proposed improvements have been designed utilizing Complete Streets principals to provide safe, comfortable, and convenient travel for all users: pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and motorists.

• Safety: The narrow travel lanes and raised median deter speeding through the project segment; landscaped parkways provide a safe buffer between pedestrians and motorists; bicyclists travel in designated bike lanes instead of mixing flow with vehicles and pedestrians; long, continuous raised medians and side streets with cul-de-sacs reduce uncontrolled left turn movements and improved traffic flow.
• Accessibility: Installation of wider sidewalks, ADA compliant curb ramps, and bike lanes greatly improve accessibility for pedestrians and bicyclists.
• Traffic Flow: Improving the remaining phases of Bristol Street completes the ultimate roadway cross section with six lanes between Warner Ave to 17th St. The proposed Bristol Street improvements provide safe mobility for all users while improving traffic flow.

Project Outreach

• Bristol Street Improvements Project – Development and Construction Overview – April 2024
• Bristol Street Improvements Project – Development and Construction Overview – December 2023
• Bristol Street Improvements Project – Development and Construction Overview – September 2023
• Bristol Street Improvements Project – Development and Construction Overview – April 2023
• Bristol Street Improvements Project – Development and Construction Overview – September 2021
• Bristol Street Improvements Project – Neighborhood Meeting Washington Square – September 2016
• Bristol Street Improvements Project – Neighborhood Meeting – Memorial Park – September 2016
• Bristol Street Improvements Project – Neighborhood Meeting – September 2015
• Bristol Street Improvements Project – Neighborhood Meeting – August 2015