CAPITOLA >> A proposed safety enhancement project at a notorious Capitola intersection will get a close look from city leaders this week.

After months of meetings and public engagement, Capitola city staff and transportation planners have unveiled a quick-build project encompassing a variety of changes to the Bay Avenue and Hill Street all-way, stop-controlled intersection close to the Nob Hill Plaza shopping center.

The plan will be considered by the Capitola City Council at its 6 p.m. meeting Thursday with a recommendation from city staff to authorize construction for this summer.

The intersection, heavily trafficked during peak commute hours, has been the subject of concern in recent years from community members who fear for the safety of pedestrians as they use the available crosswalks. So much so that this year’s budget, approved months ago by the City Council, includes $50,000 for the Bay Avenue and Hill Street Short-term Safety improvement project, which will cover the cost of the proposed changes.

Capitola Public Works Director Jessica Kahn explained in a meeting late last year that the “intent of a quick-build project is to temporarily have some adjustments to the intersection and then evaluate them over 12-14 months to see what kind of permanent improvements would be made.”

According to the staff report, the project includes a reduction in lanes at Bay Avenue approaches to simplify driver navigation, creation of bulb outs — also known as sidewalk extensions — that seek to shorten pedestrian crossing distances along with additional striping and a wider buffer area for bicycles.

If approved at the meeting, held in the City Council chambers at 420 Capitola Ave., city staff have suggested that construction not begin until late May or early June when local schools are not in session so that the heightened traffic that is expected to come from the construction is not further accentuated.

At its meeting in December, the council approved the purchase and immediate installation of lighted, flashing stop signs and pole reflectors at the intersection as well as re-striping of the nearby Hill Street corridor with reflective paint. The decision was made in the wake of a deadly hit and run that killed 70-year-old Bay Avenue Senior Apartments resident Debra Towne while she was walking near Crossroads Loop and Bay Avenue.

The recommended changes come, in part, through town halls and stakeholder meetings led by an ad-hoc committee formed by the City Council last September to guide the process.

City staff have also initiated a long-term assessment that includes safety improvements of the Bay Avenue corridor that encompasses Bay Avenue to the Highway 1 offramp and Monterey Avenue intersection. The initial analysis is anticipated to be complete in late summer or early fall.

Other agenda items

• An update on the Capitola Wharf Resiliency and Public Access Project including a request for the council to allocate more than $1 million for additional project expenditures.

• Introduction, by title only, of a new ordinance that repeals an existing special events municipal code as a means to create a comprehensive permitting system for public assemblies, events and use of city property.