Is Fresno’s decades-old Veterans Boulevard project ‘ahead of schedule?’ Here’s the latest
As 2022 approaches, the long-awaited Veterans Boulevard project is coming closer to completion, Fresno Councilmember Mike Karbassi said during a site visit on Tuesday.
“A lot of people have been told since the ‘80s this is going to be done,” said Karbassi. “Those folks have been waiting so long.”
The $140 million project was first proposed by the city in 1984.
The first stretch of the boulevard was completed in 2019, when it was celebrated as the first phase of what will ultimately be a 2.5-mile connection from Herndon and Polk avenues, east of Highway 99, to Shaw and Grantland avenues, west of the freeway.
City leaders said the next piece of Veterans Boulevard would be completed by mid-2022. The project includes an extension of Veterans Avenue west of Riverside Drive and an overpass above the Union Pacific tracks.
The total project is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
Karbassi said his office had received a lot of calls lately from residents who want to know what’s going on with Veterans Boulevard.
“For the folks that have been waiting for 30 years, wondering with all the bottlenecks we’ve had in the supply chain: are we on schedule? We’re actually ahead of schedule,” said Karbassi.
He was joined by Public Works Director Scott Mozier, who said that residents on the west side of Highway 99 have been “very frustrated” trying to get across the city.
“This is really the missing interchange,” he said.
In addition to providing an essential roadway and relieving traffic, Karbassi said “major project” will connect what’s called “forgotten Fresno” to the rest of the city and spur growth west of Highway 99.
Will Veterans Boulevard extension spur development in west Fresno?
Karbassi said some of the plots of land around the Boulevard have already been purchased.
Over $40 million in developer fees are already helping to pay for the project, in addition to a mix of federal, state, and local Measure C funds, according to a 2019 budget estimate.
“We need that money in order to pay for major investments in our infrastructure,” said Karbassi.
Mozier said that the next phase of Veterans Boulevard construction would be “100% developer paid,” thanks to Park West, a large new subdivision developed by the Assemi Group. The development will also include commercial use.
Karbassi said he’d like to see the possibility of using federal stimulus funds to extend Veterans Boulevard farther south and to expand the number of lanes, “but that’s a whole separate conversation,” he said.
For now, he said he is hopeful the completed project will help both current and future west Fresno residents.
“Having this piece of infrastructure, making it easier for people to get to work or get to where the homes are, to ... traverse 99 — that’s going to entice residents to want to go out there,” said Karbassi.
Who should pay for these types of projects? Local debate underway
The Veterans Boulevard project received over $40 million from Measure C, a half-cent sales tax dedicated to funding new roads, freeways, sidewalks, trails, and public transportation in Fresno County, according to a 2019 project budget estimate.
County leaders are working on an updated version of the Measure C sales tax renewal process. Historically, the majority of Measure C spending has gone to roads and freeways, although more recent spending has included funds for local streets, transit, and projects that address air quality, as well as trails and public transportation.
Still, some Fresno-area community and city leaders have criticized Measure C spending, and what they say is an outdated Measure C spending plan that favors suburban interests over the needs of residents that don’t have reliable access to a car.
As for Veterans Boulevard, Mozier said the city has considered alternate modes of transportation with its planning. “This is not just a big road project,” he said. “It actually has a lot of pedestrian and bicycle components,” such as a protected trail and a two-way bike path.
Another part of the Measure C conversation has centered around how much suburban and industrial developers should pay for roads they benefit from. Some environmental advocates say taxpayers are paying too much of the tab for projects that don’t benefit them.
Melissa Montalvo is a reporter with The Fresno Bee and a Report for America corps member. This article is part of The California Divide, a collaboration among newsrooms examining income inequity and economic survival in California.
This story was originally published December 15, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
