Blackstone Avenue road diet brings bike lanes and wider sidewalks to Fresno

Lane closures are now narrowing Blackstone Avenue and Abby Street in central Fresno as a $7.3 million state grant-funded road diet reshapes one of the city’s busiest corridors. On Blackstone, the project cuts vehicle lanes from three to two in each direction on the southern stretch, while work on Abby Street runs from Olive Avenue to Highway 180.

The project began June 8 and covers Blackstone Avenue from Pine Avenue to State Route 180, plus Abby Street from Olive to Highway 180. City and state filings identify it as Blackstone Smart Mobility SR180 to Pine Ave, part of the community-driven Southern Blackstone Avenue Smart Mobility Strategy. The redesign adds Class IV protected bikeways separated from traffic, raised medians, ADA-compliant curb ramps, new sidewalks, landscaping, pedestrian-scale lighting and enhanced bus rapid transit platforms.

For drivers, the immediate effect is more friction on a corridor that serves as a north-south spine through Fresno. Multiple phases of traffic control are planned through October, and Fresno Public Works Director Scott Mozier said businesses will stay open during construction even as congestion increases. That leaves motorists, delivery traffic and commuters absorbing the slowdown now, while the city argues the corridor will be safer and easier to navigate later.

Cyclists, bus riders and people walking are the intended beneficiaries. The protected bikeways are meant to separate riders from traffic on a stretch of Blackstone long built around cars, while the improved bus platforms are designed to make transit stops easier to use. Official project documents describe the overhaul as turning an auto-oriented roadway into a safer, more comfortable space for people walking, biking and using transit.

The work also lands in a corridor already under pressure. South Blackstone has seen new affordable housing and temporary shelters in recent years, bringing more activity but also complaints from some business owners about loitering and trespassing. That mix has made the road diet more than a traffic project. It is a visible bet that redesigning the street can support neighborhood life and access, even as it disrupts merchants and commuters who depend on easy car travel.

The Blackstone corridor has already been through other rounds of repair. Fresno finished a separate rehabilitation project from Minarets Avenue to Nees Avenue in 2025 after Mayor Jerry Dyer said that stretch had not been touched in nearly 30 years. Another Blackstone Smart Mobility project between McKinley Avenue and Shields Avenue was documented in 2024, extending the city’s push to remake the corridor in pieces.

The safety case is stark. Reporting tied to the broader Blackstone strategy noted 20 pedestrian fatalities on the corridor between 2008 and 2022, and Fresno was ranked the seventh most dangerous city in the country for walking and biking. The strategy has also been described as aiming to slow Blackstone to 30 miles per hour, signaling a long-term shift in how the city wants the street to function.