The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has announced that the Santa Barbara County Department of Public Works has received $606,000 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds designated for miscellaneous concrete repairs in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th districts.

Anticipating the release of the economic stimulus package and wanting to utilize federal monies for county transportation improvements, Santa Barbara County officials aggressively prepared several
transportation improvement projects to qualify and capture stimulus funding. Recently awarded county projects totaling about $2.6 million include bridge maintenance repairs, countywide asphalt
concrete overlay as well as the miscellaneous concrete repair project.

The contract was awarded to D-Kal Engineering for the miscellaneous concrete repair, and the contractor will have 21 employees working on the project.

“The county is grateful that a portion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds were earmarked for preservation of our transportation infrastructure,” county Public Works Director Scott McGolpin said. “In light of the potential taking of our state gas tax revenues by the state legislature, these funds will help repair some of the county’s hardscape as well as construct new sidewalks to
complete missing links of sidewalk.”

The miscellaneous concrete repair project is located in the unincorporated areas of Goleta, Vandenberg Village and Orcutt. Construction of this project will install 3,825 linear feet of new sidewalk and repair
1,830 linear feet of sidewalk. Project plans also include the repair of 810 linear feet of curb and gutter, 211 square yards of cross gutter and spandrel, 431 square yards of driveways, and installing 21 curb ramps. The total project construction costs will be $511,900.

Construction began Monday and should be completed by the end of August. The Public Works Department will administer and inspect the construction of the project.

— William Boyer is the communications director for Santa Barbara County.