Santa Ana Blvd Grade Separation Rendering (Source: City of Santa Ana)

With Federal Funding, the Project Will Improve Pedestrian And Bicycle User Safety, Enhance Traffic Operations, Improve Emergency Response Times, And Reduce Traffic Congestion Along Santa Ana Boulevard

Representative Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) and Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua announced on June 25, 2024, $25 million in federal funding for the City of Santa Ana for the Santa Ana Boulevard Grade Separation Project to improve pedestrian and bicycle user safety, enhance traffic operations, improve emergency response times, and reduce existing traffic congestion along Santa Ana Boulevard. This funding is a direct result of the Democrats’ passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), for which Rep. Correa was a key player at the negotiation table and helped get signed into law.

These federal tax dollars will fund the reconstruction of an existing rail crossing with the Southern California Regional Rail Authority Orange Line double tracks at Santa Ana Boulevard, adjacent to the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center, with a new multimodal-grade separated underpass. The reconstructed roadway will be reduced from six lanes to four lanes with on-street protected bikeways, sidewalks, and a pedestrian overcrossing that parallels the rail line.

“We need to create good-paying jobs and keep our local economy growing while assuring that traffic congestion does not hurt our local quality of life,” Rep. Correa said. “And with the help of this federal funding, that future will be made a reality. I’m grateful to work alongside our local partners, especially Mayor Amezcua and members of the Santa Ana City Council, to ensure that Santa Ana continues to get the federal support it deserves for all those who work in Santa Ana and call Santa Ana home.”

Specifically, the successful completion of this project—with this critical federal funding—is slated to produce:

• 7,600 Sq Ft Railroad Underpass Structure
• 2,000 Sq Ft of Pedestrian Overcrossing Structures
• 1.2 Miles of Roadway Lanes
• 0.8 Miles of Sidewalks
• 0.5 Miles of Protected Bike Lanes

“We are truly thankful to Rep. Correa for supporting the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that made the funding for this project possible,” Mayor Valerie Amezcua said. “The Santa Ana Boulevard Grade Separation Project will literally save lives by making a busy railroad crossing safer for drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians. In a busy, urban city like Santa Ana, we must do everything we can to ensure that our residents, families, and students can get around safely on our roadways and sidewalks.”

This funding was made available through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program for 2023—a program that was birthed after signing of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, that Rep. Correa helped pass into law last year. The popular program helps communities around the country carry out projects with significant local or regional impact.

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