Napa’s next public art project pairs with downtown street safety improvements

Proposed enhanced pedestrian crossings along downtown Napa’s Second Street may serve a dual purpose as the latest project integrating public art, utilizing the city’s nearly $1 million in remaining public arts funds.

Plans call for the addition of bulb-outs along the prominent downtown thoroughfare. And the city would hire artists to create designs for the bulb-outs.

Also known as curb extensions or neckdowns, bulb-outs are traffic-calming measures that extend the sidewalk or curb line out into the parking lane, effectively narrowing the road.

The intersections being considered include at School, Franklin, Randolph, Coombs and Brown streets.

Though, the exact configuration or number of bulb-outs is still being decided, according to city spokesperson Jaina French.

The bulb-out art is the city’s latest public art project, continuing a tradition that spans over a decade, with four permanent projects completed and five currently in progress.

Katrina Gregory, the city’s public art director, said at a June 25 meeting of the city’s Public Art Steering Committee that the proposed art budget for the project is $75,000, with the Downtown Napa Property and Business Improvement District agreeing to contribute $150,000.

Gregory also said the city intends to use thermoplastics for the artwork, which would be baked into the asphalt and increase durability over paint. The artist or artists hired would produce a digital file of their creation and a contractor would install it, she said.

The committee recommended the City Council approve the bulb-out project to move forward. Committee members also said they’d like to see similar projects elsewhere in the city, such as at Jefferson Street — while some questioned the location.

“I could see it looking fabulous on Jefferson and all of the businesses around Jefferson would probably appreciate that, as would the pedestrians in those neighborhoods,” said committee member Lissa Gibbs.

Second Street was chosen, Gregory said, in part because it needed traffic calming measures to slow traffic, plus the Property and Business Improvement District’s funds are limited to downtown.

“I’m hopeful that this might be a successful project, and then we can consider it potentially for lots of other sites,” Gregory said.

During the meeting, the committee decided not to tecommend a second project that involved making art from stones of the historic Soscol Avenue bridge.

Caltrans will soon replace the bridge, just north of Kansas Avenue and spanning Tulocay.

The city wants to repurpose the stone artistically, according to Gregory, who estimated the project would cost $75,000 and yield about 24 cubic yards of stones.

“It’s really part of our character and history in our region,” she said.

But the committee members said they thought the community didn’t know enough about the replacement project, and that they wanted to see a public communication process from the state move forward prior to taking action.

Gibbs also suggested that repurposing the stones should be considered by local organizations like Napa County Landmarks and the Napa County Historical Society.

“It seems like it’s part of maybe a larger historical, cultural initiative that brings attention to the heritage of our stone bridges,” Gibbs said.

Ryan Leong, Caltrans public information officer, said the replacement project is currently scheduled to begin in summer 2026.

The bulb-out project — should it be approved — will add to a growing list of permanent art projects the city has pursued and completed since the City Council passed the public art ordinance in 2010.

That required commercial developers either install onsite art equal to 1% of the project’s construction costs, or make an equivalent contribution to the city’s dedicated public art fund.

The city’s public art direction was outlined in its 2014 Public Art Master Plan, which established the vision and guidelines for how public art is selected and placed around the city.

Gregory said there’s currently about $997,000 in the city’s dedicated public art fund, and five ongoing projects collectively have $1.4 million dedicated to them. The fund is estimated to increase about $100,000 to $200,000 each year.

You can reach Staff Writer Edward Booth at 707-521-5281 or edward.booth@pressdemocrat.com .