Press Releases

Congressman Salud Carbajal visited Goleta last week to highlight a new $11,156,330 investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help construct a new underpass to connect residents to Old Town Goleta.

The full press conference can be viewed here.

The funding comes from the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Grant Program, created by the infrastructure law to help reduce environmental harm and improve access in disadvantaged communities.

"I'm proud to see the Reconnecting Communities program, created through my work on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, delivering this substantial award to Goleta for this multipurpose underpass project – part of more than $1 billion this landmark law has invested so far in our region," said Rep. Carbajal. "This award will improve Goleta's sense of community and connectivity – while keeping Central Coast pedestrians safe. I will keep fighting to deliver these kinds of groundbreaking investments in my coming term, and defend our region from any attempts to shortchange our infrastructure."

“Thank you Congressman Carbajal for securing this game-changing grant so that this long-awaited project can connect our community in a way that’s never been done,” said Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte. “This project was first identified 23 years ago…this funding realizes that vision.”

The grant will support the City of Goleta’s proposed construction of a separated and dedicated multipurpose underpass through US Highway 101, the Union Pacific railroad tracks, and State Route 217 to eliminate a barrier and connect residents located in Old Town Goleta to education, employment, housing, services, and amenities in the north and south.

The project will create a new Class I bicycle path and pedestrian amenities and improve pedestrian and cyclist safety along adjacent high-volume arterials and freeway underpasses with inconsistent infrastructure. The project will also create a new connection for the surrounding street network, offering residents, for the first time, direct access to the grocery stores, health care services, green spaces, and the educational, employment, and recreational opportunities located in the north of the city, directly across the highway.

Since its passage in 2021, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has delivered more than $1 billion in funding to projects up and down the Central Coast of California. This summer, Rep. Carbajal toured some of those projects while touting the nine-figure milestone.

Rep. Carbajal helped write and pass the landmark law, the largest infrastructure investment in nearly a century, with the Biden-Harris Administration through his role as a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.