SBCAG staff
Update by Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG)
June 4, 2023
During this summer, from June 12 until school starts (August 24), the focus of construction will be on the San Ysidro Overcrossing for the Highway 101: Montecito project. Crews will replace the safety railings on each side of the bridge and work on the ramps. Crews will also build the main portion of the roundabout as part of the San Ysidro Roundabout project. This will result in the closure of the overcrossing to vehicles – pedestrians will still have access. The project schedules are coordinated to enable efficient construction and reduce closure impacts to neighbors and residents.The timing of the overcrossing closure is coordinated with the summer schedule for local schools as traffic is reduced during this time.
Ongoing utility projects in the area are coordinating with the highway project, so that access around the San Ysidro Overcrossing closure will remain open on local roads. The key detours during this year’s on- and off-ramp closures in Montecito will be to use the updated intersection at Sheffield Drive that includes new on- and off-ramps.
The project team has also been holding ongoing coordination meetings with first responders (Montecito Fire, CHP, Sheriff, County and City of Santa Barbara, etc), transit providers (MTD, Coastal Express, SB Airbus, and Pacific Surfliner), and school administrators in the Montecito area in advance of construction.
In addition to the community meeting yesterday, residents and businesses between Carpinteria and Santa Barbara will receive a Spring 2023 Overview Guide in the mail over the next few days. The guide includes the latest information on all of the highway, bike, and pedestrian projects associated with the Highway 101: Carpinteria to Santa Barbara project.
After the San Ysidro Overcrossing reopens in late August, the San Ysidro Roundabout will be mostly functional with the center circle in place and a right-turn traffic pattern (similar to how the Olive Mill Roundabout is functioning currently). Crews will continue to build the San Ysidro roundabout through the remainder of this year.
Late this summer/fall, construction will begin on Highway 101 in Montecito with vegetation clearing, work in the median in the Advanced Work area (roughly between San Ysidro and Olive Mill Roads), and on the southbound shoulder. Crews will strengthen the pavement in the median and shoulder to enable the shifting of traffic lanes to create construction areas. After that is ready, lanes will be shifted in the spring of 2024 so that work on the northbound side can occur. The southbound side will be constructed in 2025.
This general construction strategy is similar to the other segments already under construction – Carpinteria, Padaro, Summerland.
To receive the latest information from the project, please sign up for Construction Updates at info@sbroads.com, www.sbroads.com, or 805.845.5112.
Highway 101 Montecito Construction Starts in June
By Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG)
May 24, 2023
The Highway 101: Montecito project will start mid-June. We are holding a community meeting to review construction staging on June 1 at the Montecito Inn at 4:00 pm that is open to the media and public. Additional details, maps, and a project rendering are attached. Please feel free to email with any questions. The public is encouraged to sign up for Construction Updates via info@sbroads.com, at www.SBROADS.com, or by calling 805.845.5112.
Please note that the Montecito segment is one of 5 segments in the Highway 101: Carpinteria to Santa Barbara project. The Carpinteria segment is built and being landscaped. The Padaro and Summerland segments are in construction. The Montecito segment is starting mid-June, and the Santa Barbara segment is in the permitting process. Additional information is online at www.SBROADS.com.
Highway 101: Montecito starts mid-June
Highway 101: Montecito will add a new peak-period carpool lane in each direction from the Romero Creek Bridge north to Olive Mill Road along with new on- and off-ramps. There will also be northbound and southbound auxiliary lanes (lanes connecting on-ramps and off-ramps to improve merging) between
San Ysidro and Olive Mill Roads. New bridges will be built over Romero, San Ysidro, and Oak Creeks.
Construction is scheduled from mid-June 2023 through 2026. Funding in the Advanced Work area is provided by state and regional funds and Measure A. Funding for the remainder of the project is expected to be announced later in June.
Starting new projects but making little progress on existing projects. During my last four trips in the past month through the Rincon area there was MO visible WORK being accomplished on that project.
Another 3 years of delays and construction. Wonder why no one respect the “slow for the cone zone.” Then it’s going to be another 6 years to complete Santa Barbara and then 3 years to get to Goleta.
AlwaysRunning: No doubt that it takes time to complete these projects. It’s not like you simply snap your fingers and the roads are magically transformed to a German Autobahn. One thing to keep in mind is that we live in a very eco-conscious part of the world where folks are fully aware of the effect that we humans have on the environment. Notice how many people in our area are ditching their vehicles and using public transportation. So much so that the SB MTD is planning to add any number of routes to accommodate the huge increase in ridership and demand. We are so lucky to live amongst so many folks who “walk the walk” and active in saving our planet. I recently purchased an electric bike, so I’m doing my part to chip in, as they say. If enough of us “chip in”….we can save our children’s children from living in a terrible world.
Tjtom get up in middle of night. That’s when the work is being done
Well, I spent half my life in Santa Barbara and Goleta (retired now) including most of my adult life. The big difference between Santa Barbara and the rest of the country? In other places they look at problems, figure out optimal solutions, implement them, and enjoy the benefits.
Bringing 101 into the modern era has been ongoing throughout my life. At least they finally eliminated the traffic lights near State Street. The first time I noticed that the freeway through Montecito was not quite a proper freeway my mother was driving (her DeSoto) and my father was looking out the window shaking his head. The DeSoto and the company that built it are both long gone as is my mother but 101 through Montecito is still not quite up to safely and efficiently handling the traffic seen half a century ago.