Riggin Widening & Improvement Project

Riggin Widening & Improvement Project

Project Type: A roadway widening and improvement, will provide increased traffic capacity for recent and future development along Riggin Avenue.

Schedule: Current phase 1 consists of work primarily on north side of Riggin Avenue between Kelsey Street to Shirk Street. Work hours will be 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For Updates Via Text Message: For project updates, text RIGGIN to 1-877-309-3802.

For Questions: Contact City of Visalia staff member Diego Corvera or Kolton Walker, Construction Manager, at (559) 355-9506.

Project Updates:

August 29, 2025 - Construction work for the Riggin Avenue Kelsey Street to Shirk Street Widening Project will start on Tuesday, September 2 with work on the north and south shoulders of Riggin Avenue.

Summary: Riggin Widening Project from Kelsey Street to Shirk Street will widen the existing street to a four-lane divided roadway, providing bike lanes, drainage improvements, new center medians, streetlights and street landscaping.

The purpose of the work on this section of roadway is to increase vehicle capacity on Riggin Avenue by adding additional east/west lanes and to provide for an efficient flow of people and goods in support of the increase in development within the industrial park area. Riggin Avenue is planned to be open to traffic during construction. The project comes at a total cost of $8,098,281.00 and is funded with local, state and federal dollars.

Construction dates are September 2025 through March 2026, and include roadway widening, and various improvements.

Roadway Widening

Riggin Avenue to be widened to a 4-lane road from Kelsey Street to Shirk Street.
This work includes median curb and protected turn lanes, SCE Pole relocation, Full Depth Recycling Cement (FDR-C) method of roadway construction, a Class IV Bike Lane that will run parallel with Riggin Avenue from Kelsey Street to Shirk Street, and underground utility improvements to sanitary sewer, storm drain, and water utilities.

Electrical Improvements

A traffic signal will be constructed at the intersection of Riggin Avenue & Shirk Street.
Street lighting improvements along Riggin Avenue.

Concrete Improvements

Improvements include curb & gutter, curb ramps, and concrete median curbs with stamped median concrete.

Landscaping Improvements

Planting of 40+ trees in the median of Riggin Avenue

These improvements are consistent with the City of Visalia general plan, complete streets policy, and the goals of the City’s adopted Active Transportation Plan.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Why does the pole relocation take so long?

Southern California Edison is the electricity Utility provider who has jurisdiction over the power poles along Riggin Ave, there is a lengthy cost liability, design and construction process that generally can take any where from 12 months to 3 years. In this case a major hurdle is the existing pole at the northwest corner of Riggin Ave and Shirk St will require a large custom built steel pole as a replacement. This pole has an 18-month delivery time.

What is a Class IV bike lane?

A class IV bike lane is a protected bike lane that is characterized by physically protected bike lanes that prevent vehicles from encroaching into the bike lane. This can be achieved by adding a physical barrier between the bike lane and travel lane or elevating the bike lane away from the vehicle travel way.

Why are you building Class IV bike lane on an industrial roadway?

National and state design guidelines provide for recommendation on the type of bicycle facility that should be constructed on a given roadway based on vehicle speed and volumes. This section of Riggin Ave experiences high speed vehicle travel and high number of vehicles as such consistent with applicable guidance a Class IV or protected/separated bike lane is the appropriate facility for this location.

What is a protected intersection?

A protected intersection is an intersection designed to keep bicycle traffic separated from vehicle traffic through an intersection. They are designed to slow down conflict points between vehicles and bikes and provide predictable movements for all modes of travel furthering the safety of all road users.

Other Information: Protected intersection Webpage