Residents celebrating National Bike Safety Month have a new way to get around Santa Barbara County.
Local residents and leaders gathered on Friday to celebrate the completion of the Modoc Multi-Use Path that connects a route between Isla Vista and downtown Santa Barbara.
The new 1.1-mile path is for bicyclists, skaters and pedestrians. The path along Modoc Road begins at Calle De Los Amigos, where it connects to the path constructed by the City of Santa Barbara, and connects to the Obern Trail Bike Path across from Encore Drive.
The two phases of construction were funded by Measure A funds, for a total cost about $6.5 million.
The event was attended by Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, and Assemblyman Gregg Hart, and was hosted by Second District County Supervisor Laura Capps.
In his comments, Carbajal talked about his time on the Board of Supervisors and called the county where the rubber meets the road. He added that the Modoc Road project was contentious when it was first announced, but credited Capps for her work in bringing people together.
“My message today is congratulations to everyone,” Carbajal said. “Everyone who has played a role in making this possible, and especially to Supervisor Capps, who I think deserves a lot of the credit for making all this come together.”
Finishing the path was a collaboration of multiple groups. The county worked alongside the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, La Cumbre Mutual Water Co. and the residents along the road.
The Land Trust was concerned about protecting the Modoc Preserve. Neighbors who lived along the path wanted to maintain the area’s natural beauty and were not happy with the previous designs.
County Public Works Director Chris Sneddon said the original version of the path would have removed more trees and made the area more of an urban corridor.
Even though the original plan worked from an engineering standpoint, Sneddon said it did not reflect what the community wanted. So, the department paused the project and began working with the residents to develop a new design.
Public input led to the path being moved farther from the road, preserving the palm trees along Via Zorro and improving the area for pedestrians.
“The people who live right by here are the people traveling through here, the people going to school and the people who are managing and enjoying the preserve,” Sneddon told Noozhawk. “So, through that process, we ended up with a much better project.”
The event ended with the ribbon-cutting ceremony and a group of bicyclists using the new path.
