Some relief might be in sight for businesses hunkered down on Lower State Street, where concurrent construction projects have caused headaches for locals and tourists alike.
The city of Santa Barbara is about to move its Cabrillo Bridge replacement project into a third and final phase, which involves reopening a wider sidewalk on the mountain side of Cabrillo Boulevard along with a temporary pedestrian bridge on the ocean side of the existing multi-use path.
City planners invited business owners out for a look at the newly completed portion of the bridge over Mission Creek last week.
The $26-million bridge project, which began in fall 2014 and is expected to last into spring 2017, involves new bridge railings, Mission Creek banks and 9-foot sidewalks — twice the size of the old ones, said Adam Hendel, the city’s supervising civil engineer.
“Everybody’s really happy,” he said. “This is a big milestone for the area to finish this part of it. Everything is there, it’s just a little bit harder to walk around.”
The new bridge will be 9 feet longer than its predecessor, which was built in 1913. It will meet all structural and earthquake safety guidelines while increasing creek water flow.
All vehicle and pedestrian traffic will be moved to the north, or mountain side, of Cabrillo Boulevard over a couple nights next week, Hendel said, noting an official date would be announced next week.
When that happens, Helena Avenue — home to Segway Tours of Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Surfing Museum and more — will also reopen.
Cabrillo Boulevard-fronting Wheel Fun Rentals manager Gonzalo Cortez welcomes the news. Sidewalk and street closures were a little confusing for potential customers, he said.
“We had a lot of phone calls,” Cortez said. “People couldn’t find us.”
Mountain Air Sports manager Joey Duddridge said the new bridge looked a lot nicer, and a larger walkway flowing onto State Street could bring a much-needed boost in foot traffic.
“It obviously needed to be done,” he said of construction.
The Lighthouse Skateshop just opened last week at 16 B Helena Ave. in the former home of the Mermaid’s Chest antique shop, which its owner closed last year because of construction.
Skateshop owners Naren Porter-Kasbati and Spencer Navarro are young locals excited to be moving into what they call the last “real” part of the Funk Zone. Their business is also within easy walking — or skating — distance of the Santa Barbara waterfront skate park.
“All the locals already know (we’re here),” Porter-Kasbati said.
The Lighthouse, which sells everything a skateboarder could need along with its own brand of clothing, already has a good bond with neighbors. They refer surfers to Surf N’ Wear’s Beach House and vice versa.
Changes in construction shouldn’t impact Stearns Wharf or the Arts and Crafts Show operations, Hendel said.
Mason Street will remain closed for nearby La Entrada construction until next year, he said, but those crews were aiming to complete sidewalk improvements in time to reopen State Street to more traffic by the Fourth of July.
— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
