Commission Eyes More Than $133 Million in Transportation Spending Spanning Safety, Cycling, and Zero-Emission Transit

Pasadena is weighing a sweeping five-year transportation investment of more than $133 million in specified projects that would see building of a massive new transit facility, construction of a hydrogen fueling station, extending a network of protected bicycle corridors, and installing safety upgrades at intersections with higher-than-average traffic collisions — a capital spending blueprint that, if approved, would reshape the city’s transportation infrastructure over the next five years.

The Transportation Advisory Commission is scheduled to review the Streets and Streetscapes and Transportation sections of the recommended Fiscal Year 2027-2031 Capital Improvement Program at its meeting on Thursday, March 26, at 4 p.m. in the City Hall Basement Grand Conference Room (Room S038), 100 North Garfield Avenue, in the Pasadena Civic Center. The commission serves in a strictly advisory capacity; the City Council retains final authority over all capital spending decisions.

The single largest proposed expenditure is a $100 million Transit Operations and Maintenance Facility at 2180 East Foothill Boulevard and 2211 East Walnut Street. The facility would support operations and maintenance for the Pasadena Transit and Dial-A-Ride fleets, with capacity for a projected future fleet of 50 buses and 19 paratransit vehicles.

Alongside it, the plan proposes a $17.5 million hydrogen fueling station to power a future zero-emission fleet, as well as the purchase of zero-emission vehicles for both the fixed-route transit system and the Dial-A-Ride program, aligning with broader regional sustainability goals.

Pedestrian safety figures prominently in the proposed budget. The plan includes $2.2 million for public outreach and conceptual design of safety enhancements along 11 high-priority corridors, including segments of Allen Avenue, Del Mar Boulevard, Fair Oaks Avenue, and Lincoln Avenue — work tied to the city’s Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan. The budget also proposes the installation of Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons, known as HAWK signals, at locations including Lake Avenue at Elizabeth Street and Lincoln Avenue at Toolen Place, to improve safety for pedestrians crossing busy arterial streets.

For motorists, the Transportation System Safety Enhancements Project, with an estimated total cost of nearly $1.1 million, would fund geometric modifications and safety upgrades at locations experiencing higher-than-average traffic collisions.

The proposed plan would also advance the city’s Greenway Implementation project, a $12.6 million initiative to create safe, traffic-calmed bicycle routes along four north-south corridors: El Molino Avenue, Wilson Avenue, Sierra Bonita Avenue, and Craig Avenue. The plan notes that the El Molino Avenue segment would first be constructed using quick-build materials to demonstrate the concept and gather community feedback before final designs are completed. The greenway work is part of the city’s Bicycle Transportation Action Plan.

The Capital Improvement Program is updated annually and serves as a blueprint for the city’s infrastructure investments over a rolling five-year period. Following the commission’s review, the proposed budget will undergo further scrutiny by other city commissions and committees before being presented to the City Council for final adoption later this year.

For more information, call (626) 744-7311 or visit the city’s commission agendas page at cityofpasadena.net/commissions/agendas.