Central : SANTA ANA : Grants Being Sought to Expand Bike Paths

In an effort to secure millions of dollars in grant money, the City Council has passed a plan that would almost quadruple the number of miles of bikeways in the city.

Routes envisioned in the Bikeway Master Plan would not be completed for 20 years, but city officials said the plan was needed to apply for state, local and federal grants.

The city has about 16 miles of on- and off-street bikeways, and officials hope to increase that number to 59 miles.

The on-street bikeways will only involve striping streets to create bicycle lanes, and the cost of the paint is negligible, said Kenneth Adams, the city’s planning manager.

But the off-street bikeways are expected to cost millions of dollars in construction and land acquisition, Adams said. The city has not calculated exact figures, but no city money would be used. Rather, the city will seek grants from the Orange County Transportation Authority, and from state and federal agencies distributing funds for parks and transportation.

The bikeways, officials said, would crisscross the city to serve commuter and recreational bicycle riders.

Also Monday, the City Council voted to accept a $480,174 grant from the transportation authority to complete a bikeway near Maple and Alton streets. The bikeway, which will cost $521,000, is one of those included in the master plan.