Cyclists and pedestrians should find safer routes in 2026 thanks to some ongoing improvement projects around Visalia.
The upgrades will continue through much of the year. Motorists, cyclists, and riders should be aware of some construction hazards until they are completed.
The Caldwell Avenue Bike Lane Project
A project to widen Caldwell Avenue got underway in May of 2025. Work continues in 2026.
In January, Visalia city crews began work on the latest stretch along Caldwell between South Santa Fe Street and Lovers Lane. The southeast Visalia upgrade will extend a four-lane divided roadway.
Included in the makeover are bike lanes and new stretches of sidewalks. Street landscaping and streets are also in the budget.
The Caldwell Avenue Widening & Improvement Project, along what’s also considered Avenue 280, is slated for a continuing revamp with cooperation between Tulare County and the cities of Exeter and Farmersville.
Tulare Avenue Bike Lane Project
Work also continues on the Tulare Avenue Bike Lane Project. It’s a project that wasn’t a unanimous choice.
The project is meant to reduce the number of lanes along a stretch of Tulare Avenue near, including sections near Cotta Street and Mooney Boulevard. Bike lanes will be protected and will roll out between the sidewalks and parked cars. Parked vehicles would form the barrier between traffic and cyclists and pedestrians. Americans with Disabilities Act-approved ADA ramps and traffic signal upgrades are also integrated into the upgrades.
Valley Voice reports the plan eliminates some parking places and puts parked cars closer to passing cars and trucks. Residents complained that their vehicles would be near the rush of traffic. Vehicles would be at risk of more collisions. Drivers trying to enter their cars would be vulnerable to passing trucks. The same traffic is now funneled into fewer lanes, creating more pressure on the street.
In a concession, the city overhauled the plan, promising to look for more areas for parking and to widen the planned parking places. The project was supposed to be finished in January of 2026, but with the changes, construction will continue further into the year.
Visalia’s Active Transportation Plan (ATP) for Cyclists and Pedestrians
The installation of new sidewalks, traffic signals, and bike lanes is part of a decades-long project known as the Active Transportation Plan (ATP). The early components of the plan were put together two decades ago, beginning with the 2010 Waterways and Trails Master Plan and the City’s 2011 Bikeway Plan.
The plans were consolidated into the ATP and approved in 2017. It’s guided the city as it decides which corridors to focus on each year and where to spend resources.
The city hopes to make it easier for everyone in the city to get around and to exercise, even if they don’t have a vehicle. The goal is to provide safe travel for those who are walking, biking, using wheelchairs, skateboarding, rollerblading, and more.
