Downtown Improvements Project

Current Project Status

Downtown Improvements Project Update (January, 2025)

It's been more than a year and a half since City Council's decision to award a $400,000 design and engineering contract to Interwest Consulting for the Downtown Improvements Project, which would have injected millions of dollars in one-time American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to revitalize downtown Hanford's core (Douty Street and 7th Street). The transformative project aimed to enhance traffic flow and pedestrian safety, increase parking and beautify the area through various streetscape improvements. A relatively recent change in the project's scope even proposed significant storm drainage enhancements to reduce flooding impacts to businesses near the intersection of 8th Street and Irwin.

In September, Council voted 3-1 to replace a one-lane roundabout proposed for 7th and Douty Streets with an all-way stop. The roundabout was the subject of considerable controversy among some members of the community. At the same meeting, Council awarded a $500,000 construction management (CM) contract after failing to do so in August. At the time, staff estimated the total project cost to be about $7.5 million and recommended using a combination of ARPA funds, utility funds, transportation funds and a portion of a federal grant to complete the project. Finance Director Chris Tavarez reminded Council of the end-of-year deadline to obligate ARPA funds.

Following the last minute design change in September, City staff and Interwest worked quickly to complete plans and get the project out to bid for construction so the federal funds could be committed before the deadline. Two bids were received, but both were far higher than the City's $6 million construction budget. Ultimately, the high bids combined with the looming ARPA deadline made the project unfeasible. On December 17, staff recommended rejecting both bids due to financial constraints.

The remaining ARPA funds will now be reallocated to offset public safety salaries and benefits, expand the scope of the Youth Athletic Complex Concession Stand/Restroom Building project (more information below) and pay for the environmental review work associated with the expansion of Hidden Valley Park.

Downtown Improvements Project Update (March 19, 2024)

On the heels of the March 5 study session that included a recap of a meeting with downtown business and property owners as well as a review of findings from the Downtown Pedestrian Safety & Traffic Circulation Project Update, Council Members provided City staff with final direction on the design scope for the Downtown Improvements Project during the General Business section of the March 19 Council Meeting.

Council Members voted 3-2 to replace the traffic signal at the intersection of Douty and 7th Streets with a one-lane roundabout--the best option for intersection operation and safety, according to an Intersection Control Evaluation (ICE) conducted by traffic engineers at Interwest Consulting.

While Council Member Mark Kairis voted in favor of the one-lane roundabout, he emphasized that the project is much larger in scope than a single roundabout.

"This is an investment in our downtown that has not been done in decades," he said.

Council Members also weighed in on other project design elements, including landscaping, lighting and improvements to sidewalks and mid-block crossings.

Interest will now move forward with the completion of the project's design, which is expected to be completed in late summer or early fall. The City must select a construction company before the end of the year in order to comply with ARPA funding requirements.

Downtown Improvements Project Update (March 1, 2024)

Council Members and the community will receive an update about the Downtown Improvements Project during a Council meeting study session on Tuesday evening. The City's design and engineering firm, Interwest Consulting Group, will review some of the findings from their engineering report, which includes an analysis of different traffic controls at intersections on Douty Street. View the report.

What: Council review of the preliminary design and project report for the Downtown Improvements Project
When: Tuesday, March 5 at 5 p.m. 
Where: Civic Auditorium, 400 North Douty Street

View the full agenda.
Watch live.

At the March 19 Council meeting, Council Members will identify a design scope so Interwest can begin preparing a set of plans to use for project bidding and construction. The Downtown Improvements Project is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and ARPA funds must be "obligated" by the end of 2024. That means the City must be under contract with a construction company by then.

Current Road Closures

There are currently no road or shoulder closures.

Questions about the Project?

Email us.

A Brief History of the Downtown Improvements Project 

In June of 2022, the Hanford City Council approved the recommendation to allocate $4.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for street improvements in downtown Hanford. Six months later (December 2022), Peters Engineering Group, along with City staff, presented the development scenarios and the implications to traffic, parking, future planning and budget for each scenario. Council directed staff to circulate a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the design of pedestrian improvements and a single roundabout at 7th and Douty. 

The RFP identified the following design and engineering tasks:

1. Roundabout at the intersection of Douty Street and Seventh Street, including ADA compliant sidewalk, curb and gutter, alley approaches, ADA ramps, storm drainage improvements, street section reconstruction, and diagonal parking modifications on Douty Street from Sixth Street to Eighth Street.
2. Reconfiguring Douty from four to two lanes from Sixth to Eighth Street and replace existing parallel parking with angled parking (“Road Diet”)
3. Streetscape Improvements on Douty from Sixth Street to Eighth Street and on Seventh Street from Douty to Irwin.
4. Removal of traffic signals not meeting warrants at Seventh and Harris, Seventh and Irwin and Seventh and Douty. Replace Seventh and Harris and Seventh and Irwin with bulb-outs and four-way stops. Replace Seventh Street and Douty signal lighting with a roundabout design.

On May 2, 2023, Council approved a engineering and design services contract with Interwest Consulting Group for the Downtown Improvements Project.