More buses, safer crossings and millions of dollars in transportation improvements could be headed to Pasadena if the City Council approves a project list Monday that would unlock more than $10 million in future Measure M funding.
The proposed project list would position the city to receive $10.1 million in Measure M Multi-Year Subregional Program funding for fiscal years 2029 and 2030.
The list will be submitted to the Arroyo Verdugo Communities Joint Powers Authority, which coordinates regional transportation priorities before forwarding them to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority for final approval. Pasadena’s allocation represents about 27.5% of the subregion’s anticipated $36.3 million in available funding, based on population.
Measure M, Los Angeles County’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements, was approved by voters in 2016. Under Metro guidelines, each subregion must maintain a rolling five-year investment plan identifying projects eligible for future funding.
The city participates in the process through the Arroyo Verdugo Communities Joint Powers Authority, which includes Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta-Montrose and South Pasadena.
According to the Department of Transportation, city staff evaluated potential projects using Metro’s performance measures, including congestion relief, safety, accessibility, sustainability and project readiness, as well as local traffic volumes, collision history and multimodal transportation needs.
The proposal identifies seven priority projects, with transit improvements accounting for more than half of the available funding.
The recommended transit projects include $2.88 million to purchase replacement and expansion buses for Pasadena Transit, $1.79 million for new Pasadena Dial-A-Ride vehicles and nearly $986,000 for bus stop improvements.
The remaining proposals focus on pedestrian and roadway safety. They include a proposed $1 million traffic signal at Avenue 64 and Nithsdale Road, $2.1 million for pedestrian hybrid beacons at Washington Boulevard and Mar Vista Avenue, Fair Oaks Avenue and Claremont Street, and Del Mar Boulevard and El Nido Avenue, a $600,000 pedestrian crossing enhancement program featuring rectangular rapid flashing beacons, and nearly $749,000 for citywide installation of continental crosswalks.
The Transportation Advisory Commission unanimously recommended approval of the project list on June 25. Commissioners also urged the Department of Transportation to continue studying whether the proposed traffic signal at Avenue 64 and Nithsdale Road is the most effective traffic-calming solution, citing ongoing and planned improvements along the corridor.
City officials stressed that Monday’s action would not authorize construction. Instead, approval would position the city to compete for future Measure M funding. If Metro ultimately awards funding, individual projects would return to the City Council for appropriation and approval before work begins.
The staff report states that preparing the project list carries only minor administrative costs, which will be absorbed within the Department of Transportation’s existing operating budget.
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