Staff Report
Solvang has applied to Caltrans for a $2.2 million grant to build a bike trail that would connect the existing trail along Highway 246 to Sunny Fields Park and existing bike lanes along Alamo Pintado Road.
The city submitted the application in late July, city Public Works Director Matt van der Linden said, and expects a response from Caltrans in January.
The grant would be from the state’s competitive Active Transportation Program, which is funded by the increased gas tax revenue available since voters passed Senate Bill 1, he added.
The estimated cost of the local project is $2.8 million, so the Caltrans grant would cover almost 80 percent of the expense if the city receives it.
The city applied for the money after numerous residents of the city and Santa Ynez Valley “expressed strong interest in adding bicycle lanes and improving the bicycle infrastructure in our community” over the past year, van der Linden added.
“SB 1 provides funding for every community in California to make needed pedestrian, bicycle, and road safety improvements to our local streets,” van der Linden said. “The Sunny Fields Spur Bike Trail project will make bicycling and transportation much safer … and improve the quality of life for our residents.
For more information, contact van der Linden at 805-688-5575 or mattv@cityofsolvang.com.
