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Goleta says new train station set to open this summer as Measure B boosts paving budgets
Summary
Councilmember James Curyako and city staff outlined transportation progress: a $13 million grant for a multimodal Goleta train station scheduled to open this summer, expanded annual pavement funding from Measure B, interim Hollister Avenue safety striping and near‑term roundabout and multimodal path openings.
Goleta councilmember James Curyako told the 2026 State of the City audience that the long‑anticipated Goleta train station is under construction and scheduled to open this summer, describing it as a "modern full‑service multimodal station" supported by a $13 million grant and designed to improve rail ridership, local transit connections, and bicycle and pedestrian access.
Curyako said the city expects the station to include electric vehicle charging and to position Goleta for future rail expansion. He told residents the station’s success depends on safe, accessible last‑mile connections and previewed efforts discussed later in the Q&A—partnerships with UCSB for shuttles, outreach to employers about employer shuttles, conversations with MTD regarding funding, and station design that accommodates bikes and micromobility.
On local streets, Curyako credited Measure B (passed in 2022) with expanding paving investments: he said Goleta previously invested about $700,000 per year in pavement maintenance from the general fund and that today the city deploys roughly $6.3 million annually across multiple funds for pavement work. The city manager later told the audience the street maintenance program budget was $8.7 million last year and, with carryover, resulted in more than $10.5 million invested in roadway improvements.
Curyako highlighted specific projects: Cathedral Oaks repaving with a protected bike path, Hollister Avenue interim striping that lowered speeds and improved parking and visibility, two newly constructed roundabouts associated with the Project Connect public‑works program, and the San Jose Creek multimodal path planned to open after decades of planning. "We are repairing the infrastructure we inherited," he said, noting much of the construction work is nearing completion.
In the public Q&A that followed, Public Works Director Nina Buna urged residents to submit CityAssist requests for potholes and explained that pavement funding comes from state gas taxes and the city general fund; she said the South Fairview Avenue segment is scheduled for repaving in 2028.
