Anyone driving, walking, or riding through Pasadena this summer has noticed the cones, plated trenches, shifted lanes, and crews working in intersections that looked ordinary a few months ago. The city has several construction contracts running at once, and most are scheduled to continue into the fall or the end of the year.
Construction is how streets get safer over the long run. In the short run, a changed street is a confusing street, and confusion is where collisions happen. Here is what is going on, and what to do if you are hurt.
What is actually under construction
The City of Pasadena Department of Public Works lists these active or scheduled projects on its construction page:
- ITS Projects and Traffic Flow Improvements within affected State Route 710 corridors. Awarded January 12, 2026. Construction is scheduled to run from June 29, 2026 through December 2026.
- Pedestrian Crossing Enhancements (Measure M) at Marengo Avenue and Wallis Street, and at Hill Avenue and Hudson Street. Construction was planned to start in June 2026 and to be completed in no more than 100 working days.
- Annual Sewer System Improvements and Capacity Upgrades FY2026. Scheduled from May 11, 2026 through December 2026.
- Annual Storm Drain System Repair and Improvements FY2026. Scheduled from June 29, 2026 through October 2026.
Sewer and storm drain work moves around the city rather than sitting in one place, which means the block that was clear last week may have a lane taken out this week.
Why work zone crashes are different
In an ordinary intersection crash, the roadway is a fixed background. In a work zone it becomes a moving part of the story. Temporary striping can conflict with old striping that was never fully removed. Signs get knocked askew. A closed sidewalk can push someone on foot into a live traffic lane. Drivers who take the same route every day stop looking and start remembering, and the street no longer matches the memory.
That means a question which rarely comes up in a routine collision becomes central: was the work zone set up and maintained the way it was supposed to be?
What to do in the first hours and days
- Call 911 and ask for a police report, even if the damage looks minor. Work zone crashes get argued about later, and a same-day report is hard to replace.
- Get checked by a doctor promptly. Adrenaline can hide neck, back, and head injuries for a day or two.
- Photograph the work zone itself, not just the vehicles: cones, barrels, signs, arrow boards, temporary striping, open trenches, steel plates, and any closed sidewalk or bike lane.
- Shoot the scene from the direction each driver was traveling, so the sight lines are preserved.
- Look for a contractor name on a truck, sign, barricade, or vest, and write it down.
- Note the exact time. Work zone layouts often change from shift to shift.
- Get names and numbers for witnesses, including any crew members who saw what happened.
- Save your own evidence before it disappears: dashcam files, phone location history, and photos backed up somewhere other than the phone.
The layout will not be there in a month
By the time an insurance adjuster starts asking questions, the cones are gone and the street looks finished. Your photos from that day may be the only record of what the road looked like when it mattered.
Other records exist too, and they can be requested while they are still available. Those include the approved traffic control plan, the encroachment permit, lane closure notices, and inspection records. They are usually obtainable, but not forever, and not by accident. Someone has to ask, and the request has to name the right agency and contractor.
More than one party may be involved
A work zone crash can involve the other driver, the contractor responsible for traffic control, a subcontractor, and sometimes a public entity. That last category carries a deadline that surprises people. Under California law, a claim against a city, county, or state agency for personal injury generally must be presented in writing to that entity within six months of the incident, well before the ordinary filing deadline for an injury lawsuit. Missing that window can end an otherwise legitimate claim.
If there is any chance a public entity or its contractor was involved, treat six months as the clock that matters and get advice early.
One rule worth knowing near every crosswalk
Construction also shifts where people park, which changes what drivers can see. California’s daylighting law bars parking, stopping, or standing within 20 feet of the approach side of a crosswalk, and as the Pasadena Department of Transportation explains, the restriction applies whether or not the curb has been painted red. It comes up regularly in crashes where a driver insists a pedestrian appeared out of nowhere.
Getting help
If you were injured in a crash in Pasadena, you can call for a free consultation, and there are no attorney’s fees unless we win. Our team handles car accident and pedestrian accident claims throughout the area, and you can read more about how we work with clients nearby on our Pasadena car accident lawyer page.
If your crash happened in a work zone, reach out sooner rather than later. The evidence has a short life, and so does the deadline to claim against a public agency.