Could Sacramento make Fruitridge Road safer? Here’s how to weigh in
The city is working to change one of Sacramento’s deadliest roads — where one person was already killed in a crash this year — and needs residents’ feedback to do so.
Fruitridge Road was identified in 2018 as one of the city streets with the highest number of fatal and severe-injury crashes, and it was later designated a high-priority project in the city’s 2022 transportation priorities plan. The planning effort aims to improve safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists while supporting local businesses and improving access to schools, parks and other community resources.
The project focuses on a more than 4-mile stretch between Stockton Boulevard and Interstate 5. Portions of the road through unincorporated Lemon HIll, South Oak Park and North and South City Farms have four traffic lanes, a central turn lane and bike lanes without buffers separating bicyclists from traffic. Other segments — through Hollywood Park and Mangan Park neighborhoods, for example — lack bike lanes and have wider lanes, including one that is 18 feet wide, that encourage speeding.
Potential changes include reducing and narrowing lanes, planting trees, and adding bike lanes and raised buffers, according to a presentation from a July community meeting.
As part of the design effort, the city has posted a survey asking residents how they travel on Fruitridge Road and whether their “mobility needs are being met with the existing conditions.” The survey is open through July 23.
After the survey closes, the Department of Public Works will draft a plan for the road improvement project through the fall. The final plan, following another round of community feedback, is due by spring 2027.
Fruitridge Road has a history of fatal crashes, with the most recent occurring earlier this year.
In January, a 50-year-old man who has not been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office died at a hospital after being struck while crossing the road near 49th Street. In 2025, pedestrian Kimberly Lynn Pickett, 60, was killed in a hit-and-run, while bicyclist Cornelius Jesse, 59, and pedestrian Randy Allen Perez, 41, were also struck and killed on Fruitridge Road. In 2024, three men were fatally struck on Fruitridge Road: pedestrians David Rink, 51, and James Lind, 54, as well as 36-year-old bicyclist Jose Valladolid Ramirez.
The Fruitridge Road improvement project is part of the city’s Vision Zero initiative to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2027. So far this year, at least 28 people have died on Sacramento streets.
The city is also working to redesign and repave another 1.8-mile section of the road — from Stockton Boulevard to Power Inn Road. In March, the City Council approved preliminary plans to reduce the number of travel lanes, which is currently four, in order to slow down drivers and provide more space for continuous bicycle lanes. The project will be completed in two phases, dividing the corridor at 65th Street.
