One of the most heavily traveled corridors in Fresno is getting a major overhaul.
City leaders announced last week that by combining multiple funding sources and construction projects, Shaw Avenue from Highway 99 all the way to Highway 41 will be repaved.
A few sections have recently been completed, some are currently under construction, and the remainder have start dates set. The city says the separate projects represent one coordinated effort to improve the corridor for Fresno residents, businesses and visitors.
“We made a promise that we were going to fix Shaw, and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said in a statement. “We’re attacking this corridor from every angle, leveraging federal and local dollars, coordinating with our partners, and even using our own City crews because the goal is simple – get Shaw paved.”
Shaw Avenue sees around 80,000 drivers on a daily basis. The western section of the high-traffic corridor was voted as the city’s road most in need of improvement by Fresno Bee readers in a survey published by The Bee in August.
Readers cited potholes and cracked pavement, making for a rough, bumpy drive, particularly in areas west of Blackstone and around Fig Garden Village.
Cracked pavement appears in the roadway on West Shaw Avenue west of Blackstone Avenue in Fresno. West Shaw Avenue, particularly around Fig Garden Village, was voted to be in the most need of improvement in a poll published by The Fresno Bee.
Sections of Shaw Avenue currently under construction
Work is currently underway on Shaw Avenue from Valentine to West Avenue, where crews are completing concrete repairs and upgrading curb ramps to prepare for repaving. It’s being paid for through Dyers Pave More Now initiative, which is a $100 million bond program that invests in local streets.
Another 0.7-mile stretch of Shaw Avenue between Fruit and Palm is currently under construction, receiving repaving, new curb ramps, updated roadway signage, and fresh striping. This $1.6 million section is being funded through the federal Surface Transportation Block Grant program, with the required local match provided through California’s SB-1 Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account.
Most repaving construction work will be completed during nighttime hours from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., according to the city.
Cracked pavement appears in the roadway on West Shaw Avenue west of Blackstone Avenue in Fresno. West Shaw Avenue, particularly around Fig Garden Village, was voted to be in the most need of improvement in a poll published by The Fresno Bee.
Sections of Shaw Avenue recently repved
The Pave More Now program also previously paid to repave the section of Shaw Avenue between Blythe to Valentine Avenues.
Shaw Avenue between Palm and College Avenues was a county-funded project.
Sections of Shaw Avenue with a construction start date set
The city plans to pave West to Fruit Avenue in the spring of 2027, followed by Highway 99 to Cornelia Avenue in summer 2027. That will be coordinated with the completion of the High Speed Rail grade seperation work in the area.
While the majority of Shaw Avenue is expected to be repaved by the end of summer 2027, the final segment, from College Avenue to Highway 41, is scheduled for construction in the spring of 2028. It will include pavement rehabilitation, new streetlights and curb-ramp improvements, according to the city.
Shaw Avenue improvements.
Cracked pavement appears in the roadway on West Shaw Avenue west of Blackstone Avenue in Fresno. West Shaw Avenue, particularly around Fig Garden Village, was voted to be in the most need of improvement in a poll published by The Fresno Bee.