Drivers along Cathedral Oaks Road in Goleta are encountering rough pavement and potholes. The deteriorating surface is starting to lose aggregates, and rocks are coming out of the surface of the pavement, often landing near the shoulder when vehicles drive along the road.
Goleta officials say they realize the aging roadway needs repair work, but several factors — including funding challenges — have created a pavement maintenance backlog.
[Scroll down to view a video about Cathedral Oaks Road via the City of Goleta’s YouTube page.]
Cathedral Oaks Road between Cambridge Drive to the west end at Calle Real and Highway 101 is within the City of Goleta jurisdiction and maintained by Goleta.
The pavement is about 20 years old, according to the city.
The city recently performed some repairs along Cathedral Oaks Road.
It completed work on the dip between Los Carneros Road and Glen Annie Road, according to Goleta Public Works Director Charlie Ebeling. The work consisted of using a polymer injection method to repair the settlement beneath the roadway and was followed up by reconstruction on the adjacent curb, gutter and sidewalk, he said.
Goleta officials are taking steps toward other improvements on sections of Cathedral Oaks Road.
The city is finalizing the design of its Pavement Rehabilitation Project, which includes two segments on Cathedral Oaks Road, Ebeling said, adding that the project is expected to begin in late summer or fall of this year.
The segments include Glen Annie Road to Alameda Avenue and an interim repair on the segment between Winchester Canyon Road and Calle Real. The interim repair includes pavement surface treatment and not the required full roadway reconstruction because of the current settlement and erosion issues related to the adjacent crib wall, Ebeling said.
“The roadway is in very bad condition, so we proposed an interim surface treatment repair to avoid throw-away costs and until we can perform the needed crib wall repairs,” Ebeling said.
The other segments of Cathedral Oaks Road will be included in future Pavement Rehabilitation Projects pending the city’s pavement management program and funding, he said.
“Unfortunately, a majority of Cathedral Oaks Road is in need of full roadway reconstruction, which is very expensive and estimated to cost over $15 million to $18 million to complete the repair of the Cathedral Oaks Road corridor between Carlo Drive and Calle Real,” he said. “The current annual budget is approximately $2.5 million for the entire city roadway network, so it limits how much work can be done, especially on arterials in need for full roadway repair such as Cathedral Oaks.”
The pavement work on Cathedral Oaks Road between Glen Annie Road and Alameda Avenue is part of Goleta’s upcoming Pavement Rehabilitation Project.
“We are currently finalizing design and anticipating starting construction in late summer or early fall of this year,” Ebeling said.
The two-lane Cathedral Oaks Road was constructed in the early 1970s, according to Goleta officials.
Dedicated funding sources for pavement maintenance projects include a portion of gas tax dollars and Measure A half-cent sales tax dollars in Santa Barbara County, among other funds.
“Those limited sources are the main funding for all types of transportation infrastructure maintenance and new projects in the city of Goleta,” according to the city. “Other taxpayer sources such as the local general sales tax and property tax are allocated to specified public services such as schools, the state, other local public agencies such as the county, with a small portion of those taxes going to the city’s general fund.”
Click here for more information about repairs on Cathedral Oaks Road. The city’s site also features a message to the community from Ebeling.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
