Community leaders and elected officials celebrated the completion of the Santa Claus Lane Bikeway at a Wednesday ceremony with bicyclists, pedestrians, and local business owners.

The new 0.6 mile, Class I bikeway and multipurpose path, which connects Santa Claus Lane to Carpinteria Avenue, is on the beachside of Highway 101 between the freeway and the railroad tracks.

An artist rendering of recently completed bikeway shows cyclists and pedestrians on bike path next to cars on the road.
An artist’s rendering shows cyclists and pedestrians using the recently completed bikeway. Credit: Courtesy photo

Pedestrians and bicyclists can now walk and ride between the city of Carpinteria and Santa Claus Lane, a popular beach and local business area in Santa Barbara County. This also marks an improvement in the California Coastal Trail. Construction has been ongoing since September 2022.

“Connecting communities is one of the best ways we can ensure we are building infrastructure mindfully,” said State Sen. Monique Limón. “I am proud that the state has invested $7.54 million of SB1 funding to make this project a reality, but that was made possible by the local match from Measure A.”

“SBCAG voted to use $3.33 million in Measure A funds for the Santa Claus Lane Bikeway,” said SBCAG Chair Jenelle Osborne. “This multipurpose path is a joint effort by the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments, Caltrans, the county of Santa Barbara, and the city of Carpinteria.

“It has been wonderful to see everyone pull behind this project,”

“In Carpinteria, we have been wanting to see this bikeway built for many years,” said Carpinteria Mayor Al Clark. “This allows residents and visitors to ride and walk from Carpinteria, up to Santa Claus Lane and beach, then continue on into Summerland.

“Having it located on the beach side of Highway 101 makes it a nicer journey. We were all so excited to see this become a reality; many people have been using it during the temporary opening and we expect that trend to continue.”

In addition to the bikeway, improvements were made to the intersection of Estero Street and Carpinteria Avenue with updates for the multipurpose path connections and crosswalks.

On the Santa Claus Lane side, a new vehicular turnaround was built early to improve access to the bikeway and facilitate turning movements for traffic wanting to stay on Santa Claus Lane versus enter the freeway.

“This bikeway will unite Carpinteria with Santa Claus Lane like never before,” said Das Williams Board of Supervisors chair and SBCAG director. “This project has been in the county’s long-term plans since 1977, and now it’s finally here.

“The bikeway will improve access to the beach and local businesses, and also provide a better regional connection for people who want to commute to work or recreate.”

“Caltrans is pleased to continue our close working relationship with SBCAG, the county, and the city of Carpinteria to oversee construction of this local improvement,” said Scott Eades, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 5 director.

“A lot of hard work went into creating this connection between the freeway and the railroad tracks. This project is truly something to celebrate,” Eades said.

“I would like to add our thanks to the community for pushing for this project, understanding the unique challenges during construction, and already showing their support by using this multipurpose path throughout the temporary opening,” said Marjie Kirn, SBCAG executive director.

For more information or to sign up for biweekly construction updates on the Highway 101 improvements, visit www.SBROADS.com, call 805-845.5112, or email info@SBROADS.com.