Santa Monica Spends Millions to Make Roads Like Broadway Work for Cars and Buses but not for Private Autos

SANTA MONICA – The City of Santa Monica has completed a major phase of street infrastructure work on California Avenue, with crews now transitioning to ongoing improvements along Broadway as part of broader efforts to enhance safety, mobility, and downtown vitality.

The California Avenue Street Reconstruction project, which focused on rebuilding roadway surfaces, installing a new storm drain system, and related upgrades between Ocean Avenue and 7th Street, reached substantial completion ahead of its anticipated full wrap-up in summer 2026, says the City.

The project, part of the city's multi-year capital improvement initiatives, addressed aging pavement, improved pedestrian access, and incorporated sustainable features to align with Santa Monica's goals for resilient infrastructure.

Residents and businesses along California Avenue experienced temporary lane closures and detours during active construction phases starting in 2025, but city updates indicate the bulk of disruptive work has concluded, with any remaining minor touches expected to be minimal and short-term. The upgrades contribute to the overall Realignment Plan, a $60 million commitment approved in late 2025 to invest in street repairs, safety enhancements, landscaping, and economic support across the city.

With California Avenue work largely in the rearview, public works crews have mobilized on the Broadway Safety Project, a separate but complementary effort to add bike lanes to Broadway from Ocean Avenue to 26th Street.

The Broadway project, which kicked off in early January 2026, includes repaving, sidewalk replacements, concrete-protected bike lanes, improved crosswalks, traffic calming measures, upgraded pedestrian ramps, and better signage for all users-pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, and drivers alike.

Phase 1 (Ocean Avenue to 9th Street) saw paving completed in late January, while Phase 2 (9th Street to 26th Street) advanced through targeted paving segments in March, including sections from 9th to Euclid (March 9–10), Euclid to 16th (March 10–11), and 19th Court to 26th (March 12–13), with full completion targeted for mid-April 2026.

The effect is to make it much harder to bring a car into Santa Monica, and easier to bike here.