Funding Pressures Put Squeeze on Highway 101 Widening Project

» Don McDermott on 11.23.09 @ 08:22 AM

Clearly, from highways and roads to wars, education and health care, etc we are not sustainable. That probably means you. Regarding highways and roads lets get our priorities in line and make them more efficient rather than adding more lanes that we cannot afford, maintain or “sustain.”  Regarding highways and roads, the true costs of these projects should be included in the price of your favorite motor vehicle. Good job of SBCAG, CarTrans, et al for trying to keep all this unsustainable system together. BTW, for diehard asphalt lover tea bag party types isn’t there a federal stimulus package available.

» Told you so of S.B. on 11.23.09 @ 08:32 AM

Does anyone remember that we had the opportunity to accept Cal Trans funds and widen the 101 in S.B. in the early 1990’s for about $10 million?  Our local community rallied AGAINST the proposal for various reasons: It would bring too many people to our lovely, pristine community.  It would cause the removal of too many eucalyptus trees along the Montecito lanes. The traffic is just not that bad. (well true for those who never left Santa Barbara to go South on a Friday evening) and so on.
I saw local business organizations jumnp on the no growth bandwagon and all I will say today is, “I told you so”. This is a mess.

» old news on 11.23.09 @ 08:59 AM

troubling and good report, but this was news last week
http://santabarbarasblog.com/?p=4193

» Lameness on 11.23.09 @ 09:15 AM

The don’t widen crowd must be bad parents, not buying their kids clothes as they will outgrow them so might as well wear the tight fitting ones until they stop growing.  The 101 is a major artery in California and needs to be widened, the hell with what people in SB think and it is shameful that it has been delayed this long.  The greedy and jealous people in SB must get over it so that the rest of the taxpayers statewide and in SB can have a viable means to get north and south without delay.  These same people caused the delay of the stoplight removal.  Imagine the mess if the stoplights were still there.

» Foolinsh leaders on 11.23.09 @ 09:34 AM

How could you NOT see the job losses and the 40% reduction in the values of homes coming? The housing market will drop another 30% in S.B the next two years hold on—Government needs to cut its staff and wages the same-30%—

Bad liberal leaders—union controled—

» Bonnie Raisin on 11.23.09 @ 10:18 AM

The Hot Springs/Coast Village Rd. round-a-bout cost a 50 million plus that might have been saved for the current shortfall of Measure A funds.  Oh well, our local governments are eternally optimistic if not practical! Beware new suggestions for more round-a-bouts, bulbouts, and any street street/highway improvements that alternative transportation addicts come up with. We cannot affort to guild the lily!

» RHS on 11.23.09 @ 11:33 AM

Populism and anger make it hard to conduct a scientific or rational policy.  Taking the $3M or so for the Cold Spring bridge was an example of this sort of silliness.  At the same time those complaining about the slow pace of this project are likely to be the same people complaining about increased taxes, etc.  Anti highway people drag their heels into the ground at even a sensible compromise such a filling in the third lane on 101 but the other side refuses to support money for alternative systems such as light rail unless they “pay for themselves” which the highway system certainly does not do.  This is the messy result of democracy corrupted by demagogues and special intersts.  An awful system except there is no apparently better one.  (Though recently the Chinese Communist consumerism drive seems to be working for them.)

» Deception comes home. on 11.23.09 @ 11:48 AM

Isn’t it interesting how none of the money being bleeded off by the anti car crowd for “alternative” transportation was never mentioned by Hart?  Did anyone else see this little omission?  Are you not concerned the spokesman for SBCAG has this blind eye?

Local communities are in the process of spending money on bike paths (multi-decade failures), bus routes unable to generate projected ridership (Valley Express and Oak Par in SB come to mind), and subsidizing failed bus passes.  Money for the most part should be going to streets and highways.

Did anyone get the fact “communities” depend on State and Federal money.  They used to plan with general fund money for roads and streets and used the State and Federal funds for “extras.”  It is not business as usual and has not been for 2 years.  Yet these types continue as if the magic fairy will turn around double digit unemployment over night, and there will not be inflation as a result of printing money and running disastrous State and Federal deficits.

Did you vote for Measure A?  The technical committee?  Give me a break.  The “Wise Guys” stated all the details were taken care of and now we have a committee to tell them how to spend the money? 

It is time to fire all Traffic Staffs and hire no one connected with any obstructionist spend thrift planning, with a contract stating you do this an you owe the taxpayers all of your wages paid (with interest).

» Long Time Resident on 11.23.09 @ 02:19 PM

Given the economy, the lower tax revenues, the local community’s foot-dragging, and
the eternal unreliability of timely, state funding for big, expensive projects, isn’t this
just one more “Dog Bites Man” story?

What’s the big surprise?

On the other hand, the dreadful recession has reduced 101 traffic in our area, so the
urgent need for these improvements is much less than it seemed a few years ago.

This actually could be a gift from heaven.

Caltrans’ widening design for 101 between Summerland and Salinas Street would
currently look like some cross between a computer-generated Sci-Fi set, and the
scorched earth Stalin left in Hitler’s path way back when.

Is Noozhawk interested in the thousands of trees, shrubs, landscaping that would
be removed, and never replaced under the current plan?

Are Noozhawk readers interested in the idea of miles of sound walls, extra lanes,
median walls, and no landscaping at all from Sheffield to the Bird Refuge?

This could buy local bureaucrats and Santa Barbara Beautiful time to reconsider if
that is what we really want for the State to “improve” our freeway corridor.

» Don McDermott on 11.23.09 @ 11:53 PM

Think of the Santa Barbara South Coast as a village if you want to keep Santa Barbara and Los Angeles 100 miles apart.  For the last 2 years I’ve been spending a lot of time between Torrance and Westwood and every community in between are widening for automobiles and marginalizing automobile traffic at the same time. Today another announcement of widening the 405 through Westwood. Just can’t get enough. There’s no end to the widening surface streets either and the road conditions are worse than ours. Sidewalks in Westwood are in terrible shape.  Bike lanes are few and far between in most communities and in Torrance they recently removed a sidewalk next to a 12 lane road to instal a right turn lane. And guess what everyone complains about all the traffic. This notion that automobile transportation is the only practical solution is absurd. The results of that notion will always be what I think no one wants. Just another community but with a beautiful backdrop. The trick to adding transit is to do it before you screw up the community.

» Bruce Holms on 11.24.09 @ 10:06 AM

Interesting banter.

» Banter? are you a chicken on 11.24.09 @ 11:11 PM

Do you have an opinion—or do you sit and watch others? coward…Whats your opinion???

» John Locke on 11.25.09 @ 03:48 PM

McD never proposes solutions, only slings and arrows and left wing rants.