Construction will start this month for the pedestrian and bicycle pathway connecting Santa Claus Lane to Carpinteria Avenue, the Carpinteria City Council heard at its Monday meeting.
The project will close a gap in the California Coastal Trail by creating a 14-foot-wide multipurpose path on the coastal side of Highway 101.
Kirsten Ayers gave the City Council a project update, including construction timelines and road closures.
Several driveway closures and one-road closures are scheduled in order to complete this project. However, they will be staggered out so that patrons will still have access to businesses throughout construction.
In the parking lot off of Carpinteria Avenue, four parking spots will be removed during construction of the path. According to Ayers, that’s because the current length of the red curb where the path will end is not long enough.
Santa Claus Lane’s southbound on-ramp to Highway 101 will be closed between September and January. The area is already feeling the impacts of highway off-ramp closures and detours because of the widening project.
At the end of Santa Claus Lane, a teardrop-shaped turnaround will be constructed to allow vehicles to head west on Santa Claus Lane.
The turnaround will make it easier to merge onto Highway 101, according to Ayers. Construction on the turnaround will take about two more years to complete and is part of the County Streetscape Project.
To find more updates on the multiuse path construction and other Highway 101 construction projects from Santa Barbara to Carpinteria, visit hwy101carpinteria-santabarbara.com.
— Noozhawk staff writer Grace Kitayama can be reached at gkitayama@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
