Colorful celebration for new murals at Garces Circle, State Route 204
Artists, Bakersfield officials and local and state agencies gathered Thursday to celebrate the completion of the 10 murals at State Route 204 and Garces Circle. The project is part of a Clean California Beautification Project that also includes murals at California Avenue and Highway 99, completed earlier this summer, and the upcoming work at Q Street and 204.
"It kind of warms my heart to see the difference that we are making together on this exciting journey for the community," Caltrans District 6 Director Diana Gomez said at the conference.
"Today we celebrate the intersection of connectivity, creativity and community," Mayor Karen Goh added. "The collaboration of Caltrans, the Arts Council of Kern, the city of Bakersfield and all our artists ... transforms the roadsides of our city."
The Garces Circle artwork features the designs of Flavio Daniel Chavez, Jennifer Cordova, Alex Gallardo and Minami Marina Perales as part of the project that aims to unite "lives, cultures and experiences that converge" in the community.
The event also highlighted renderings for the companion project along the southern half of 204 from Brundage Lane to 21st Street. That portion will consist of eight murals by Jesse Moreno.
"Community mural projects will add artwork to some of our busiest streets, transforming these spaces by adding beauty, inspiration and joy," Jeanette Richardson, executive director of the Arts Council of Kern, said in a news release.
The combined $6.5 million Clean California-funded projects will include newly installed fencing beneath bridges, cobblestone paving, lighting to enhance pedestrian safety, new pavement, new landscaping, marked bikeways, and utility box wrappings.
Both 204 projects were made possible by Gov. Gavin Newsom's Clean California initiative, the Caltrans-led, $1.2 billion multiyear beautification effort to remove trash, create jobs and "join with communities throughout the state to reclaim, transform, and beautify public spaces."
Since July 2021, Clean California, through Caltrans and its local partners, removed more than 2.7 million cubic yards of litter, which is enough to cover nine lanes of Interstate 5 with trash from San Diego to the Canadian border, according to the Caltrans news release.
Additionally Caltrans has hosted more than 600 free dump days throughout the state, resulting in the collection of 14,000-plus mattresses and 52,000 tires.
This initiative has brought on more than 60,000 community cleanup volunteers and created 18,267 jobs, including positions for individuals who were formerly incarcerated, on probation or experiencing housing insecurity.
