Some Arroyo Grande residents are raising concerns about the safety and long-term costs of a new pedestrian project along Huasna Road.
The City of Arroyo Grande says it has received complaints about the safety of the crosswalk on Huasna Road at Strother Park since 1979.
Cesar Lomeli lives on Huasna Road and said it’s not uncommon to see people speeding down the street.
“At times, we do have some speeders and stuff but the solution is not this island," Lomeli said.
Lomeli says his neighbor received a letter from the city, informing them that a refuge island would be built in front of their home and lanes would be narrowed, limiting the distance for pedestrians to cross.
John Benedetti, the senior engineer for this project, says the project will help pedestrians cross the road more safely.
“It's going to increase safety by not only slowing traffic down, by creating new areas for traffic to recognize there's improvements ahead, but also it's going to decrease distance that allows people to cross the road much faster with that high rate of traffic," Benedetti said.
Lomeli says when he heard about the project, he was concerned for his neighbor, who would lose one of their limited parking spaces.
“We've actually changed the design slightly," Benedetti said. "We also pulled some of the red curb away to open up more street parking.”
The project, set to take about two months, was paid for as part of the Highway Safety Improvement Program, a grant of about $340,560 that will pay for multiple projects across the city.
“[My neighbors] got a three-week notice prior to this project happening," Lomeli said. "So as far as notice goes, we never got a notification whatsoever or [city] hall meeting or any kind of meeting whatsoever or any kind of input.”
Benedetti says the city has had many conversations with residents and the information has been available since March 2025.
“The resident directly affected was sent a letter in early February," he said. "Prior to that, there were council meetings. Residents that want to get involved need to be involved. It's all about how much effort you put into it that you're gonna get back out of it."
