This post first appeared at SBLA sister site Santa Monica Next.
Alert Twitter User Mobility for Who spotted new curb-protected bike lanes being installed on 26th Street as part of the Bergamot Area First Mile/Last Mile Improvements project, which implements the station area plan approved by the city council this past April.
“The concrete beast has arisen and it’s here to stay,” the tweet jokes, referencing the controversy over the 17th Street protected bike lanes.
The Bergamot Area First Mile/Last Mile Plan is designed to increase access and safety for people using the 26th Street/Bergamot Metro E Line station. The project includes bus, bike, and walk components – details below. The bike lanes are amongst the first to get underway.
Cynthia Rose, the executive director of Santa Monica Spoke, has long advocated for better access to the rail station. She puts the bike upgrades in a historical perspective, “I said it before, but it’s thrilling to see these lanes go in and our protected bike lane network emerging.”
“We have been advocating for these projects for more than five years, and the results we are seeing are well worth it. The final projects are more than was even proposed years ago during those first meetings.”
The under construction improvements include:
- Slip lane closure on the northeast corner of Olympic Boulevard and 26th Street
- New sidewalks, trees, and lighting on Olympic Boulevard (north side) from 26th Street to Stewart Street and on Pennsylvania Avenue from 26th Street to Stewart Street
- New crosswalk (west leg) at Olympic Boulevard and 26th Street
- Protected bikeway on 26th Street from Olympic Boulevard to Broadway
- Protected bikeway on Stewart Street from Colorado Avenue to Kansas Avenue; and on Colorado Avenue from Stewart Street to Yale Street.
- Two bus islands on Stewart Street between Colorado Avenue and Nebraska Avenue
- Two bicycle signals - one at Stewart Street and Olympic Boulevard and another at Stewart Street and Colorado Avenue
- Curb extension and center median at Nebraska Avenue and Stewart Street
- Raised bike facility on Stewart Street from 10 Freeway underpass to Kansas Avenue (southbound direction)
Construction, expected to be completed in mid-2026, is in three phases beginning with Olympic Boulevard sidewalk and finishing with Stewart Street and Pennsylvania Avenue bicycle and pedestrian improvements. Find full project details at the city’s project website (includes construction notices) or this fact sheet.
Sadly, the city did not use the “concrete bike lane machine” that earned nationwide praise for its deployment on Ocean Avenue in the summer of 2023. Maybe the city will bring it out for some of the larger project components down the list.
