Projects

Pittsburg gateway sign highlights finish of Clean California project

Pittsburg sign
Caltrans photo

Caltrans and the city of Pittsburg announced the completion of the Clean California “Reviving the Heart of Pittsburg Pride” project designed to rejuvenate the historic downtown district.

The project includes a new gateway sign, walking paths,  landscaping, and public art installed along the city’s Railroad Avenue corridor. The newly unveiled 3-D Pittsburg sign spells out the city name in large black and orange lettering and is equipped with lights for nighttime illumination, creating opportunities for residents and visitors to capture selfies and group photographs.

"This project in Pittsburg demonstrates the Department’s ongoing commitment to transform neighborhoods and reinvigorate community pride," said Dina El-Tawansy, Director of Caltrans District 4, of the project completed last week. "The impressive city sign is a statement piece colorfully showcasing civic pride. The new walking paths, attractive landscaping and public art encourage people to enjoy the area on foot or bicycle."

This $3 million project was made possible through Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Clean California initiative — a $1.2 billion, multiyear clean-up effort led by Caltrans to remove trash, create thousands of jobs, and join with communities throughout the state to reclaim, transform, and beautify public spaces.

"Pittsburg was built with hard working individuals and continues to thrive with the same principle," said Zuna Barker-Portillo, Environmental Health and Safety Officer for the City of Pittsburg, who has served as project manager. "This project’s objective is to embrace our heritage, diversity and pride."

Since launching Clean California in July 2021, Caltrans and its local partners have picked up more than 2.3 million cubic yards of litter-enough to fill about 700 Olympic-size swimming pools. 

This represents a substantial increase compared to the department’s previous trash collection efforts and can largely be attributed to Clean California, along with other Caltrans litter removal efforts. Caltrans has hosted more than 500 free dump days in communities throughout the state, resulting in the collection of 12,000-plus mattresses and nearly 50,000 tires. 

The initiative has drawn more than 10,000 community clean-up volunteers and created 15,000 jobs, including positions for individuals who were formerly incarcerated, on probation, or experiencing housing insecurity.

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