After years of planning and community debate, the final mile of the Modoc Road Multi-Use Path has been approved by Santa Barbara County, promising safer travel for cyclists and pedestrians.
Cyclist Carol Gemberling Stewart says the new path can't come soon enough. She and fellow riders use the Obern Trail Bike Path regularly, but say sharing the road with cars can be dangerous.
"This is the only part where we really have to be on the street," Stewart said, referring to the gap in the current bike path network.
"They try to pass me and it's very scary. So yeah, separate biking paths are definitely the way to go," said cyclist Bob McLashlin.
The $6.5 million project has neighbors split on the necessity and impact.
"I would say the existing bike lane for people who ride all the time is just fine. Why destroy a bunch of trees because we have money to put in a bike lane?" said cyclist Harold Marcuse.
Three residents who declined to be interviewed said the project will change the landscape and is unnecessary in their opinion.
However, other neighbors support the bike path.
"When the bike path is ready, I think it would be much safer for the whole community," said resident Elizabeth Forsland.
When complete, the 10-foot-wide path will provide a continuous connection between schools, beaches, and UC Santa Barbara for cyclists, walkers, and wheelchair users. The path will separate these users from Modoc Road, a high-speed roadway with no continuous sidewalks.
Santa Barbara County Supervisor Laura Capps emphasized the path's importance as a daily commuting route.
"Making sure it's a safer place to be for so many people who use that path, use that corridor on a daily basis. It's not sort of just a one-time thing. This is a commuting place," Capps said.
The project required intricate agreements between multiple agencies, including the water district, the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, and the county itself.
Capps says the beloved Canary Island palms lining the road will be preserved during construction, which is scheduled to begin in October, completing the final link in what will become an eight-mile network of pathways connecting Isla Vista to Santa Barbara.
