Caltrans hopes to finish rebuilding damaged or destroyed Montecito bridges along State Route 192 this winter, weather permitting.
Construction crews are currently at work on the Olive Mill Road overpass at Highway 101 near the Montecito Inn, which had its railings destroyed and washed away by the Jan. 9 debris flow.
New bridge rails have been completed on the eastern side of the overpass and crews are now working on the western side.
There is one lane of traffic over the overpass during construction, with detours and traffic control on Danielson Road, which is expected to end by Dec. 7, weather permitting. That’s also when the sidewalk will re-open and Olive Mill Road returns to its full width.
The supporting framework below the bridge on Highway 101 is expected to be removed in early January.
Sylmar-based Security Paving is the contractor for the $20 million replacement of five Montecito and Toro Canyon-area bridges.
Caltrans bridge work in areas impacted by the debris flows includes:
» Montecito Creek at East Valley Road, at the base of Parra Grande Lane west of Hot Springs Road.
Crews are working seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., weather permitting, Caltrans said, and the bridge is expected to re-opened to traffic with some restrictions in mid-March.
» San Ysidro Creek at East Valley Road, just east of Randall Road.
Both lanes are open during construction. Bridge rail work is complete and work continues on the guardrail and bike rail work.
» Romero Creek at East Valley Road between Sheffield Drive on the west and Ortega Ridge Road on the east.
The bridge is expected to re-open to traffic by mid-January, with utility and roadway work continuing.
» Toro Creek bridge near Ladera Lane, east of Ortega Ridge Road.
The bridge is expected to re-open without restrictions by the end of February. The bridge is open to one lane of traffic until complete. Bridge rails have been poured on one side of the bridge, and the other side is predicted to be poured after water lines are relocated later this month, Caltrans said.
» Toro Canyon Creek bridge at the intersection of East Valley and Toro Canyon roads.
The bridge is expected to be re-opened to traffic by the end of February.
» Arroyo Paredon Creek near Carpinteria, just west of Cravens Lane at Foothill Road/Highway 192.
This bridge is expected to re-open to vehicles by the beginning of February. The precast bridge deck was installed in October. Construction of the bridge railing and deck surface is nearly finished and Santa Barbara-based Lash Construction is the contractor for the $10-million project.
Segments of State Route 192 are open to motorists, but through traffic is strongly urged to continue using Highway 101 due to the bridge construction. Sycamore Canyon Road at Camino Viejo Road and Cravens Lane on State Route 192 remain closed at multiple locations.
Santa Barbara County is also in the process of repairing or replacing damaged bridges.
“The damaged bridges from the debris flows are in various stages of the repair process,” said Lael Wageneck, a spokesman for the county Public Works Department.
The county plans to replace the bridge at Ashley Road, and that project is in the design phase with bidding expected to happen in early spring, he said.
Construction cannot begin until after May 1 because of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife regulations, Wageneck said.
— 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.
