Studebaker Road and Palo Verde Avenue project update

Published on September 23, 2026

Thank you, Lakewood, for continuing to participate in the Studebaker Road and Palo Verde Avenue traffic calming projects.

These projects are the result of a multi-year public process that began with the City's Local Road Safety Plan and continued through the Uncontrolled Crosswalk Study and Neighborhood Traffic Calming Study. 

Construction schedule

Final street improvements have begun on Palo Verde and Candlewood and Studebaker and will continue through November 2026, pending weather conditions. 

Lane closures may occur and motorists may experience delays when driving through the construction area. Please consider alternate routes. 

The dates below are inclusive of the various stages of each construction project and may vary depending on weather.

Palo Verde Avenue & Candlewood Street

Construction work is underway as of Sept. 10 and runs through Oct. 2, pending weather conditions.

Following completing of the grinding and paving work done Sept. 10-12, additional concrete and traffic circle improvements will continue through Oct. 2. Drivers may experience brief traffic interruptions as concrete trucks enter and leave the work area, but no additional extended closures are expected.

Please allow extra travel time and use caution around the work zone. 

Studebaker Road and Centralia Street construction

Beginning Monday, Sept. 28, crews will start work on a street improvement project on Studebaker Road from Del Amo Boulevard to Centralia Street and along Centralia Street from Studebaker Road to the I-605 overpass.

The project includes street resurfacing, concrete work and construction of permanent traffic-calming improvements. Work will be completed in phases and is expected to continue through the end of November.

As work progresses, traffic on Studebaker Road will be shifted toward the outside lanes while crews work in the center of the roadway. Traffic patterns will change as sections of the project are completed.

Closures during construction

Construction is expected to continue through the end of November.

Sept. 28-Oct. 2

• Rynerson Park, Home Run Dog Park, the Little League field and the interior parking lot will be closed to vehicle and pedestrian access.

Beginning Oct. 3

• Rynerson Park, Home Run Dog Park, the Little League field and the interior parking lot will reopen.
• Access may be limited at times as construction continues.

Parking impacts during construction

• Beginning Sept. 28, parking stalls along Studebaker Road south of Rynerson Park’s main driveway entrance will be closed through the end of the project as part of a street repaving project.
• Parallel parking along Studebaker Road near the dog park is expected to reopen as construction progresses.

Once construction is complete, additional parking stalls, including ADA-accessible spaces, will be available to better support park activities and reduce parking impacts on the surrounding neighborhood.

What to expect during construction

• Work hours: Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding holidays and weather permitting.
• One lane in each direction will remain open during construction.
• Expect delays and temporary traffic changes. Drivers may experience brief delays as crews and equipment move through the area. Consider using alternate routes when possible.
• Watch for temporary “No Parking” signs and follow all posted restrictions.
• Trash collection will continue as usual.
• Street sweeping on Studebaker Road will be temporarily suspended during the paving phase. The contractor will sweep the streets after paving is completed.

Please use caution when traveling through the work area and allow extra time.

If you have questions, please call the City at 562-866-9771, extension 2140.

Improvements planned

Palo Verde improvements include:

• Enhanced geometry for better vehicular circulation
• Enhanced signage and pavement markings
• A hardscaped roundabout with mountable curbs (interior roundabout design consideration for future improvements (to be determined)
• Relocation of the bus stop at Candlewood Street
• ADA accessibility improvements
• Additional coordination with Fire and Sheriff's Departments

Studebaker improvements include:

• Enhanced geometry for better vehicular circulation
• Installation of concrete medians and bulb-outs for clearer separation of Studebaker traffic from surface parking lot
• Additional signage, yield markings and driver guidance
• Hardscaped roundabouts with mountable curbs(interior roundabout design consideration for future improvements (to be determined)
• Parking lot circulation changes to discourage use of parking lot as detour to Studebaker
• ADA curb ramps and pedestrian improvements
• Additional vehicle separation/buffer at the Studebaker and Centralia curve
• Bus stop improvements/relocation for better circulation and safety
• Installation of new concrete sidewalk from Gridley to Rynerson Park

Additional information about construction timing, traffic impacts and the final improvements will continue to be provided as work progresses.

Project history  

Since 2020, traffic calming and pedestrian safety in these areas have been discussed at more than two dozen public City Council (CC), Public Safety Committee (PSC), Community Safety Commission (CSC) and Capital Improvement Program Committee (CIPC) meetings and updates.

Community outreach

The City has conducted extensive neighborhood outreach specifically for the pilot projects, including:

• Bilingual online and printed surveys
• Postcards mailed to nearby residents
• Community canvassing at parks and surrounding neighborhoods
• Door-to-door outreach and collection of written surveys
• On-site project banners and QR codes
• Multiple public meetings and project updates before and during the pilot program

We heard you

The pilot program was intentionally designed to allow the City to test the improvements, collect community feedback and traffic data, and make adjustments before permanent construction.

Based on what we heard from residents and what the City's engineering team observed during the pilot, the permanent designs include additional modifications to address the most common concerns.

These include adjustments to traffic-circle geometry and approaches, improved signage and visibility, pedestrian-access improvements and other location-specific refinements.

Pilot project results and renderings

Most recently, 587 survey responses were received regarding the pilot projects, with a majority of respondents indicating that the City should move forward with final design and construction.

View the Palo Verde Avenue survey results flyer.(PDF, 4MB)

View the Studebaker Road survey results flyer.(PDF, 6MB)

Data collected demonstrates that the pilot improvements are achieving their primary goals of slowing traffic, discouraging “cut-through driving” (as indicated by the reduction of average daily traffic volumes at both sites), reducing impacts on adjacent neighborhoods, and improving pedestrian access to the park.

The renderings below show how the traffic circles are anticipated to look following permanent construction and incorporation of these modifications.

Palo Verde Avenue renderings

Studebaker Road rendering

 

Watch the short video below for a virtual fly-through over the Studebaker Road roundabout. Please note the area/structures surrounding the corridor shown in the video are generated from a global system and may not be to scale, but the transportation design elements reflect engineering plans for final construction.

 

 

We're continuing the conversation

On Sept. 5, the project outreach team provided detailed project information and printed materials to residents who stopped by the two sites to share their thoughts on the projects.

Stay tuned for the next survey to help determine the final design image for the center of each traffic circle.

Questions?

For more information, please contact the City of Lakewood:

• Call 562-866-9771, extension 2140
• Email service1@lakewoodca.gov