In a move that would dramatically transform the lower Eastside, the City of Santa Barbara wants to build a $32.5 million bicycle and pedestrian bridge over Highway 101 to connect to the waterfront.

The City Council is set to discuss the project at Tuesday’s 2 p.m. meeting at City Hall.

“This is a great project addressing the connectivity and accessibility of the Eastside to the coastal areas, the zoo and Gwendolyn’s Playground,” Santa Barbara City Councilwoman Kristen Sneddon said. “The Eastside neighborhood has been asking for a connection for over a decade, and this project would make that happen.”

The Active Transportation Plan includes the bridge and dozens of other Lower Eastside Safety Enhancements, curb extensions, new sidewalks and more lighting.

Highway 101 currently serves as a barrier for Eastside residents to access the waterfront unless they travel down Milpas Street. Improving circulation is a goal in the city’s bicycle and pedestrian master plans.

In a report prepared by the city’s Public Works Department, the lower Eastside is referred to as a “disadvantaged community.”

According to data from Lakewood-Kansas company Replica, which tracks travel trends through smartphones and credit card purchases, there were about 10,000 private vehicle trips, 2,800 vehicle trips with a passenger, 2,500 walking trips and 400 bicycle trips on an average 2023 summer day. There were another 400 “other” trips, including delivery, rideshare and freight, and 200 transit trips.

According to the proposal, the bridge would begin at the intersection of Pitos and Canada streets, rise over Highway 101 and connect at Dwight Murphy Field.

The city hired a consultant, Consor, to analyze the feasibility of building a bridge to span Highway 101 and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, without installing infrastructure in the Caltrans right-of-way.

The overcrossing is designed to reduce collisions and improve safety. Of the 15,533 total collisions that occurred in the city between 2007 and 2022, 1,424 took place in the Lower Eastside Plan Area. Of those collisions, 82 (5.8%) involved pedestrians and 131 (9.2%) involved bicyclists.

Out of the total collisions that involved pedestrians and bicyclists (213), 16 pedestrian collisions and nine bicyclist collisions (11.7%) resulted in severe or fatal injuries, according to the city.

The city has three other pedestrian and bicycle Highway 101 overcrossings: at Ortega, Anapamu and Junipero streets.

Neither the bridge nor safety enhancements are funded.

For the bridge, the city most likely will apply for grant funds from the state’s Active Transportation Program or its SB1 Solutions for Congested Corridors Program.

The city staff is working with the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments to fund the lower Eastside safety enhancements and roll it into the Highway 101 High Occupancy Vehicle and Widening Project. That portion of the project is another $8.2 million.

The safety enhancements include curb extensions at the intersections of Montecito and Voluntario streets, Montecito and Soledad streets, Quinientos and Voluntario streets, Quinientos and Soledad streets, and Carpinteria and Soledad streets.

The city also is considering a bike boulevard from Cacique to Canada streets, including curb
extensions at Canada and Hutash streets, Canada and Punta Gorda streets, and Cacique and Voluntario streets.

The project also includes sidewalk infills, as well as new lighting throughout the Salinas corridor, and rapid flashing beacons at Hutash and Salinas streets, among several other changes.

“The Lower Eastside Community Connectivity Active Transportation Plan addresses community-identified needs by recommending safety improvements and eliminating barriers to mobility between the Lower Eastside and destinations south of Highway 101,” said Sarah Clark, downtown parking and plaza manager.” The plan would restore the neighborhood’s connection to the waterfront.”