Milpas Street Crosswalk Safety and Sidewalk Widening Project welcomes public input

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - It's been 13 years since the Friday night a speeding truck struck and killed 15 year old Sergio Romero on Milpas and Ortega Streets.

The young musicians was on his way to perform at the Avocado Festival in Carpinteria.

His father Armando Romero has been keeping track of road improvements ever since and said he supports "adding more crosswalk flashers in dangerous intersections and lamps in dark areas to improve security."

Other residents agree.

"It is definitely really hard to cross the street without cars stopping for you," said Morgan Venn.

That's why the city of Santa Barbara has named it a "Vision Zero Priority Corridor."

The zero stands for zero fatalities.

Supervising Transportation Planner Jessica Grant said it got the designation because it has the second highest number in the city of pedestrian related collisions.

Grant said Milpas Street has the second highest number of pedestrian collisions in the Santa Barbara behind State Street and Gutierrez St.

She said Cliff Drive is third.

The city held a community Zoom to discuss how a $10 million, in mostly grant money, will be spent on improving crosswalks and widening sidewalks along 11 blocks between the roundabout and Canon Perdido near Santa Barbara High School.

The first step will be more lighting.

More light will help to make more safe for people it is going to be more safe and secure for people to cross," said Jose Luis Ponce, who dined at Los Agaves on Tuesday night.

An in-person meeting will be held at Franklin Elementary School on E. Mason St. this Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Like the Zoom, the in-person meeting will include a presentation explaining the Vision Zero Priority Corridor.

The plan calls for new curb extensions, high visibility crosswalks, additional intersection lighting, accessibility upgrades throughout the corridor, wider sidewalks at corners and transit stops, leading pedestrian intervals at signalized intersections, flashing beacons enhancements at non-signalized intersections, a median refuge island at one non-signalized intersection, and the addition of three-foot-wide buffers to the existing bike lanes between Cota and Canon Perdido Street.

In addition, 13 of the 95 street trees are slated for removal, most are non-native Ficus trees.

Those trees will eventually be replaces in other locations.

The work will coincide with a maintenance project that includes pavement grinding, overlay, and sidewalk repairs.

Grant said feedback and continued support from the community will help the project get completed in a timely manner.

The work is expected to begin in early 2027.

"At the end of the day it is just painted lines, and you always have to be so careful when you are crossing the street and to be very visible as well even at nighttime, with your cell phone turn on your flashlight so you have extra visibility, but the new lighting coming on Miplas, all the lights, whether you are going across Milpas or along Miplas will be well lit," said Grant.

For more information contact Milpas@SantaBarbaraCA.gov

Your News Channel will have more on Milpas Street Safety tonight on the news.