Milpas Street getting walkable bikeable facelift
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Renovations are coming to Milpas Street on the east side of Santa Barbara. The improvements will be along the one-mile stretch from the Milpas Roundabout at Highway 101 to East Canon Perdido Street.
These improvements are coming from a public hearing held in October 2019 about the street. Jessica Grant, Santa Barbara supervising transportation planner, said the community gave feedback on the walking, biking, parking, lighting, landscaping and trees along Milpas Street.
Grant said the city will address those concerns in a meeting on Thursday, January 30th from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Franklin Community Center at 1136 East Montecito Street. During the meeting, they will discuss potential solutions for Milpas Street.
Among the possible solutions include:
- Left turn arrows at the intersections of Milpas Street and Cota, Gutierrez, and Montecito Streets.
- Changes to the lane configuration at the intersections of Cota, Haley,
- and Mason Streets.
- Crosswalk enhancements along each intersection and also along Haley at Quarantina and Nopal intersections.
- Additional street lighting at all intersections.
- Milpas tree canopy management over time.
Rob Dayton with the transportation department said based on Thursday's public meeting the transportation department will make a formal plan for city council. Then they will apply for a state grant, which will be approved or not in October.
Dayton said this project will take about 5 years and cost millions of dollars to complete.
