Cliff Drive, one of Santa Barbara’s most automobile-centric streets in terms of its design, is about to experience a transformation, with bicyclists and pedestrians getting their fair share of the road.

The city of Santa Barbara, led by Jessica Grant, supervising transportation planner, is set to overhaul about 3.1 miles of Cliff Drive. The plan is to install four new traffic signals, 14 new crosswalks, new safety features and crossings, including curb extension, widened sidewalks, high visibility-crosswalk markings, median refuge islands, rectangular rapid flashing beacons and safety lighting.

“I love everything about this,” said Ian Baucke, a member of the city’s Transportation and Circulation Committee. “It is revolutionary.”

The city of Santa Barbara has been making the rounds the past few weeks with neighborhood meetings, webinars and committee meetings to discuss the project, which has been in the works for more than a decade. Cliff Drive was originally built as a highway by Caltrans. The state relinquished it to the city of Santa Barbara after years of lobbying efforts in the 2000s.

The city of Santa Barbara has grant funding for design and construction of $27 million from the state’s Active Transportation Program. The city has also a 20% match obligation. The funds are released in phases via a billing reimbursement process. The project will go before the Santa Barbara City Council on July 29.

The project goes before City Council for the environmental determination. Filing of the environmental determination to the County and State Clearinghouse allows the project to more forward to the right of way and final design phases.

Several changes are planned, including creating a completely separated bike path, and removing 46 parking spaces along the road for a total of 142. The city also plans to remove 23 trees, but plant 70 new ones.

In collaboration with Santa Barbara City College, the city plans to reconfigure Cliff Drive in front of the college, eliminating the curved entrance near the bus stop, and install a fence to allow a separated bike path. The new East Campus entrance would be moved to where the current exit is, and a traffic signal would be installed. The city intends to install another traffic signal at the West Campus entrance.

In another change, the strip mall commercial area where Taco Bell sits will change from two-way to one-way, and angled parking will be installed facing the businesses. Baucke suggested that the parking instead face the street to create more of “place” in front of the buildings.

And there’s more.

Plans call for a new crosswalk at Cliff Drive and Salida Del Sol to improve coastal access and make it safer for students walking to Washington Elementary School.

Crews plan to widen the sidewalk on Flora Vista Drive between Cliff Drive and Red Rose Way and add curb extensions to improve safety for students walking or biking to Monroe Elementary School. The sidewalk on Loma Alta Drive will also be widened to improve connectivity with McKinley Elementary School.

Barry Remis, an avid bicyclist and programs administrator with MOVE, supports the project, particularly the separation of the bike path. The rapid flashing beacons and new signals will help bikers and pedestrians.

It’s been a collaborative project with members of the community helping to improve on the city of Santa Barbara’s plan.

“It’s really great that a wonderful project has become even more wonderful,” Remis said.

The 3.1-mile strip will close the final gap in the 30-mile long Coastal Bike Route from UC Santa Barbara to Ventura County.

“We are going to take one of the worst streets to use anything but a car to one of the best streets to use anything but a car,” Baucke said.