Imperial Avenue Bikeway

SANDAG's Imperial Avenue Bikeway will create more than three miles of safer streets for people who walk, bike, drive, and take transit between Downtown and Southeastern San Diego. It will provide important connections to the City of San Diego’s Downtown Cycletrack Network and future regional bikeways. The project will include:

  • Separated bikeways and buffered bike lanes on Imperial Avenue between 17th Street and 47th Street
  • Buffered bike lanes along J Street from 17th Street to 20th Street
  • Shared lane markings on 20th Street from J Street to L Street, on L Street from 20th Street to 22nd Street, and on 22nd Street from L Street to Imperial Avenue

The project will also include high-visibility crosswalks, raised crosswalks, curb extensions, bike boxes, bus islands, cycle track bus stops, bend-outs, and more. These features will improve access to key destinations and promote active living and healthy communities along Imperial Avenue.

Visit our Bikeway and Walkway Projects page for project terminology definitions and to find links to information on other bikeway and walkway projects.

Imperial Avenue Bikeway map of planned improvements including separated bikeways and buffered bike lanes in three locations, bike lanes on Imperial Ave from 36th to 40th streets, shared lane marking connecting J Street to Imperial Ave via 20th, L, and 22nd streets, bend-out treatments in several locations along Imperial Ave, two on the western portion and five on the eastern portion, bus islands in several locations along Imperial Ave, two at 25th Street, one at Francis Street, and four more on the eastern portion, and an enhanced pedestrian crossings at 24th and 26th streets.

Project Status and Funding

The Imperial Avenue Bikeway project is part of the Regional Bike Plan Early Action Program, which was approved by the SANDAG Board of Directors in September 2013. Funding for the planning, preliminary engineering, environmental analysis, and final design of the bikeway is provided through TransNet. Construction costs are funded by a combination of state and federal grants from California's Active Transportation Program. Construction started in June 2024 and is expected to be completed in 2026.

For more information, check our News page for project updates, subscribe to our email list, or contact gobybike@sandag.org with any questions or to access past studies and documents related to the project.

SANDAG regional bikeway projects are reflected in our annual Program Budget. View the entire budget map to explore all our mappable projects.

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