VISALIA, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Heavy traffic and congested intersections are not uncommon on Lovers Lane in Visalia. “It’s unsafe to just drive through there,” Visalia resident Robert Castro said. As the population grows and traffic increases, some drivers say they avoid the a rea altogether. “I try to avoid the area. I live on the other side of the freeway here. So a lot of times I'll go all the way to almost the Ivanhoe exit to avoid this traffic and the red-light-runners, all the aggressive drivers and the congestion,” Castro said. Heavy traffic isn’t the only problem though. “The pavement in this area has been deteriorating extensively and has reached an unacceptable ride quality for our travelers,” Visalia Mayor Brett Taylor said. Taylor says all of these issues have become too big to ignore. Caltrans held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday, celebrating the beginning of its ‘Lovers Lane Operational Improvements and Rehabilitation Project.’ They plan to extend the freeway off-ramp, repave the roads and upgrade the traffic lights. “I was elected to the City Council in 2007 and we were talking about this project back then. So it's always nice to live long enough to see a project actually come to fruition,” Vice Chair of the Tulare County Board of Supervisors Amy Shuklian said. The project will stretch from McAuliffe Street to Lovers Lane and then Lovers Lane to Noble Avenue. “Once completed, the work here is slated to allow a smooth traffic flow, reduced congestion and emergency response times are expected to improve,” Taylor said. They say the project will wrap up in the summer of 2026 and will cost a total of $45 million. Castro says it’s worth every penny. “$45 million? I'm a taxpayer. I'm all for it. It has to get better, it's just congested. We need it,” Castro said. ...read more read less