Downey, Pico Rivera agree to install traffic island

DOWNEY - In an effort to reduce traffic collisions on Telegraph Road between Lakewood Boulevard and Passons Boulevard, the cities of Downey and Pico Rivera agreed this week to construct a raised median on Telegraph Road.The landscaped median will also help to handle an anticipated increase in traffic when a widening project on the 5 Freeway gets underway soon. A "potentially significant" amount of traffic is expected to be diverted onto Telegraph Road during construction. Installing the median will also make the street aesthetically more attractive, officials said. Downey and Pico Rivera applied for and received a $900,000 grant from the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program to pay for the median island's construction. Downey will be responsible for its share of planning, environmental and design costs totaling about $190,000. Planning and design work will continue through the rest of this year and construction is estimated to begin between July and December 2012.

********** Published: June 30, 2011 - Volume 11 - Issue 10