Editor’s Note: Amy Beth Katz, a resident of the Paradise Road area in the upper Santa Ynez Valley, has been monitoring work to repair a road culvert in her neighborhood. She provided this account for Noozhawk readers.
“They came down the mountain, and have now returned to the mountain,” said Lael Wageneck, public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Public Works Department.
Wageneck reverently reflected as he surveyed the giant boulders being off-loaded from trucks and carefully placed around a culvert that showed signs of rain damage on Paradise Road on Feb. 2.
Ironically, these rocks that had rolled down miles and miles of hillside during the tragic debris flow one year ago in Montecito will now help fortify this scenic, oak tree-lined byway that is dotted with Forest Service cabins and campgrounds in the Los Padres National Forest, making it safer than before.
This rain-compromised culvert, which runs under Paradise Road close to and across from the Los Prietos campground, is keeping residents who live in this mountainous community cautious, and curious.
County workers have been stalling drivers for several minutes at a time, until heavy machinery and cars coming from the other direction can safely pass the re-construction site.
“So much water goes over the roads, it inundates and saturates the environment. This portion of the road became undermined,” explained Diana Estarga, a county inspector for this repair project. “There was cracking and no material under the road left, so there was basically an overhang here, which is why the lane was closed.
“The first thing we did was to determine was this just saturation from the rain? There was also some weight [debris] that filled the culvert, so water was seeping out of it. We had to fix it, rebuild and reinforce the culvert, and then fix the road,”
The county is exercising extreme caution. Because of the rain, they have had 24-hour traffic control at the site, and continue to monitor for any changes around the road.
“If we detect any movement at all — dirt sliding or falling off — we will come out and access it. Everyone back here will be notified, emergency services will be called, and we will close the road.”
Estarga, a civil engineer, is optimistic that she will continue to be able to keep Paradise Road open.
“We know this is one way in and out; that has been our goal the entire time: to maintain access.”
She expressed appreciation that the neighborhood occupants have been gracious and understanding about the delays, explaining that “the first couple days onlookers were very curious, but they have been staying back since then, which helps us keep moving forward.”
Wageneck agrees.
“When things like this do happen, we are thankful to the community for their patience, because we know this is not ideal when they are trying to get in and out. We remind people to drive safely and obey traffic laws as we make it safer for everyone.”
He shared that he thinks what happened in Montecito a year ago has made residents more patient and compassionate across the county.
“A very nice lady brought cookies out to transportation workers the other day. One long-time worker told me that in his 20 years on the job, he has never experienced an act of kindness like this, and he was really touched.”
The anticipated finish date for the Paradise Road culvert-repair operation was Monday, Feb. 11, but it actually was completed the previous Friday.