Special to the Vanguard
Davis, CA – The first phase of the Reimagine Russell project will begin with an allocation in the 2022-23 budget for $250,000 to fund a preliminary design for a roundabout at the junction of Russell Boulevard and Arlington Road, the city announced on Tuesday.
“This is just the first step in making Russell Boulevard safer for all users including pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles,” said Mayor Lucas Frerichs. “In years to come, the City will look for grant opportunities to fund further improvements to Russell to create a more welcoming entrance to Davis and the UC Davis campus.”
Vice Mayor Will Arnold added, “We look forward to continuing to partner with UC Davis and Yolo County 
to enhance the safety features and the sense of place of this corridor.”
“Having a shovel-ready, well-designed project will enable the City to pursue grant funding needed for the roundabout at a time when very significant amounts of federal and state funding are becoming available for projects just like this one,” said Councilmember Dan Carson.”
In 2021, the City of Davis, UC Davis and Yolo County launched the ‘Reimagine Russell Boulevard’ collaborative project to address safety and accessibility along a three-mile stretch of Russell Boulevard from B Street to County Road 98. On a typical weekday, 8,000 cyclists, 20,000 vehicles and more than 13,000 transit riders travel through this corridor.
Through extensive analysis of the Boulevard’s operations, landscapes and cultural significance, the team developed a vision plan including design concepts for an accessible, multimodal and sustainable future for this critically important arterial that was presented to the Davis City Council in June 2022. Three virtual community workshops were done in February 2022, October 2021 and April 2021 with two community questionnaire surveys done in May and October of 2021.
For more information, go to the City website at https://www.cityofdavis.org/ and click on the button “Improvement Projects” then select “Reimagine Russell Boulevard” from the list.
