District 7 photo
By Colleen Park
District 7 public information officer
District 7 streets and trails in Los Angeles and Ventura counties have been refreshed, revamped and rewarded.
Three recently completed projects from Cycle 1 of the Clean California Local Grants Program have won accolades from local chapters of the American Public Works Association (APWA) and highlight the beautiful and beneficial change Clean California has afforded these communities.
Ventura — Ventura River Trail
The City of Ventura and Caltrans celebrated the completion of the Ventura River Trail Improvements Project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and community bike ride in September 2024.
Funded by nearly $5 million from the Clean California Local Grant Program (CCLGP), the 1.8-mile trail connecting Ventura to Ojai was renovated with new pavement, wayfinding signage, improved accessibility, solar lighting, urban greening, and a new public art mural. The mural, created by local artist Anthony Macri Ortiz (“ANTHO”), features a picturesque view of a healthy Ventura River with local wildlife and plants on the riverbank.
"I want to thank the City of Ventura for embracing the spirit of the Clean California program by beautifying their community and providing crucial outdoor recreation space for all to enjoy," said Caltrans District 7 Director Gloria Roberts.
The project was recognized by the American Public Works Association (APWA), Ventura County Chapter with a 2024 Project of the Year Award in the Transportation category.
District 7 photo
Glendale — San Fernando Road Beautification Project (Phase 1)
Vibrant crosswalk murals highlight a colorful array of improvements made as part of the recently completed Clean California effort on San Fernando Road from Grandview Avenue to Elk Avenue.
Caltrans and the city of Glendale announced the completion of Phase 1 of the San Fernando Road Beautification and Multimodal Improvements Project in January 2025, creating a comfortable and safe multimodal experience for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists along a 1.6-mile stretch of San Fernando Road.
The $13.2 million project was funded in part by a $4.9 million Clean California local grant. The project also received local and state funds. The street transformation includes improved sidewalks with curb bulb-outs, median islands, high-visibility crosswalks at intersections, added bike lanes, new bus shelters and water efficient and native landscaping.
“I want to the applaud the city of Glendale for the stunning improvements made to San Fernando Road,” Roberts said. “From its creative crosswalk murals to a focus on multimodal enhancements, this project is a hallmark of the Clean California Local Grants Program, increasing the safety, accessibility and beauty of this vital public corridor to the benefit of the community and all road users.”
Featuring designs by local artists, the art-inspired crosswalks are a part of the Creative Crosswalks project, an initiative by the Glendale Library, Arts & Culture, Glendale Arts and Culture Commission and the Glendale Public Works Department to incorporate civic art into daily life. For her mural design “Blooming” at the intersection of San Fernando Road and Highland Ave, local artist Naira Tangamyan researched and highlighted native California wildflowers, the Phacelia and the Lewisia.
Local artist Tracey LaGuerre took inspiration for the design of her mural “The Magic Orange Tree” from her Haitian American identity and childhood experiences listening to her grandmother tell Haitian folktales at bedtime. Located at the intersection of San Fernando Road and Harvard Street, the mural depicts ripe orange fruit on a reddish hued pattern of orange blossoms.
“I felt like it tied in very well with the valley and its agricultural roots with the orange groves,” LaGuerre said. “It felt like a piece of my past mixed with a piece of my present and the future as well. I love that it's not just pretty but it has utilization too, making the town safer and helping the public.”
San Fernando Road serves nearly 25,000 daily LA Metro and Glendale Beeline transit users and is a major connector in Southwest Glendale between industrial and commercial businesses and residential neighborhoods. The well-traveled corridor is also used as a bypass to Interstate 5 (I-5) and connects to the cities of Burbank and Los Angeles (Atwater Village).
The project won the APWA Southern California Chapter’s 2024 Project of the Year Award in the Traffic, Mobility and Beautification category.
District 7 photo
El Monte — Merced Avenue linear park
A new linear park opened to the public in El Monte in July 2024, transforming a section of Merced Avenue into safer, greener, and more functional roadway and community space.
In addition to serving as a traffic-calming feature, the linear park adds a recreational space for the community and creates safe paths for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Constructed on a 0.2-mile-long median of Merced Avenue, between Towneway Drive and Garvey Avenue, Merced Avenue Linear Park features a walking path, a concrete two-way bike path, landscaping with drought-resistant native plants and shade trees, seating, stormwater capture systems, and space for future public art.
Merced Avenue Linear Park was funded by a $4.6 million Clean California local grant with additional funding from Los Angeles County’s Safe Clean Water Program (Measure W). Due to grant savings on construction, the project has received an extension from Clean California local grant program to use remaining funds on additional improvement features, including exercise equipment and added lighting, with expected completion in spring 2025.
The project won the APWA Southern California Chapter’s 2024 Project of the Year Award in the Creative and Innovative category.