SANTA BARBARA, Calif.-A community Zoom session tonight will be followed by an in person meeting on Thursday to discuss the Milpas Street Crosswalk and Sidewalk Widening Project.
The bilingual Zoom begins will be held from 5:30 -7:00 p.m. tonight at: SantaBarbaraCA.gov/MilpasSafeCrossings.
The 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.
Both the zoom and in person meetings will include a presentation explaining the Vision Zero Priority Corridor that runs 11 blocks from the Milpas roundabout to Canon Perdido near Santa Barbara High School.
The City of Santa Barbara's Supervising Transportation Planner Jessica Grant said Vision Zero is a global term that stands for the goal of zero fatalities or serious injuries on roadways.
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.
A State grant and some matching fund worth $ 10 million will pave the way for the construction to begin in 2027 with the following safety enhancements: 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.
The first part of the project will add streets lights on the corners of every intersection.
In addition, 13 of the 95 street trees are slated for removal, most are non-native Ficus trees.
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.
For more information contact [email protected]
Your News Channel will have more on Milpas Street Safety tonight on the news.