The city of Goleta received a $11.16 million grant this week for the San Jose Multipurpose Path project. The project aims to build a multipurpose underpass through Highway 101, the Union Pacific railroad tracks, and State Route 217 to connect residents in Old Town to employment, educational opportunities and other services in the north and south by walking and biking.

The grant will help cover previously unfunded aspects of the project, closing the funding gap. The project will construct a bike path adjacent to San Jose Creek from Hollister Avenue to the Atascadero Creek bike path at Goleta Beach. 

“This transformational project removes barriers for Old Town residents and businesses to connect to northern Goleta shopping, services, and neighborhoods that are currently out of reach,” said Goleta City Councilman James Kyriaco. 

Kyriaco said that many Old Town residents have to go out of the way to find a way to walk or bike to other neighborhoods in the city. 

“For the first time, I really feel confident that Old Town residents and businesses will feel like they’re just as part of the city as everybody else,” Kyriaco said.

The grant came from the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Grant Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation. 

Goleta was one of 25 California cities to receive a combined total of $258 million for transportation infrastructure upgrades.

The $11.16 million is in addition to the $15.29 million the city already received from the Active Transportation Program grant. As a condition of the grant, the city has to provide up to 20% of overall construction costs. 

Those funds will come from a combination of local funding sources including development impact fees and future bond proceeds, according to Kelly Hoover, Goleta’s community relations manager. 

The project is currently in the final design phase, and the city expects to go out to bid for a contractor in the spring, Hoover said.