Fresno’s Clinton Avenue corridor is getting $15.6 million in infrastructure and public transportation improvements.

The updates are being made mainly to support a nearby 114-unit affordable housing project currently under construction at the southwest corner of Blackstone and Dakota avenues. The housing, transit and infrastructure aspects are all funded by an affordable housing and sustainable communities state grant awarded to the city in 2023.

“This grant is especially important because it also comes with housing, and so this was the first that the city has received, but won’t be the last,” Gregory Barfield, the city’s director of transportation, said at a news conference Tuesday when the project was announced.

Updates include the addition of bike lanes, a new pedestrian crossing signal, landscape buffers, street and sidewalk improvements and the planting of trees along the corridor, said Scott Mozier, director of public works.

FAX bus service updates

Plus, as of Monday, Fresno’s Area Express bus route 39 transitioned from a 30-minute service to a 15-minute service on weekdays.

Key stops along the route include Fresno High School, Fresno City College, the VA Medical Center and Fresno Yosemite International Airport.

Five new bus drivers were hired, and three new buses were added to Fresno’s fleet to accommodate the increased frequency of Route 39. One of which is fueled by hydrogen.

Route 39 carries over 1,000 passengers daily during an average work week, Mayor Jerry Dyer said. The new 15-minute service operates from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“Not everybody needs public transportation in our city, but for those who do need it, they rely on it desperately,” Dyer said.

FAX serves approximately 10.2 million boardings annually. Additional funding from the grant also allows FAX to improve 16 bus stops throughout the city.

Construction timeline

While the 15-minute bus service began this week, the construction for the rest of the project is expected to start and be completed in 2028, Mozier said.

The affordable housing project, called The Dakota, is scheduled to open in early 2027. The grant also allows for 40 vans to provide transportation for the people who live there.

“We’re pretty excited about what’s happening here,” Dyer said. “It’s been in the works for a long, long time, and I look forward to the ribbon-cutting on the Dakotas.”

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