The California Transportation Commission voted unanimously Thursday to allocate $60 million in State Transportation Improvement Program funds for the Linden & Casitas Interchanges Project in Carpinteria.
The Linden & Casitas Pass Interchanges Project is Phase 3 of SBCAG’s 4 Phase strategy to widen the Highway 101 freeway with new peak hour carpool lanes from Santa Barbara to Mussel Shoals in Ventura County.
Phase I from Milpas Street to Montecito was completed in 2012. Phase II from Mussel Shoals in Ventura County to Bailard Ave in Carpinteria was completed in 2015.
The Linden Ave. & Casitas Pass Road Interchanges Project will reconstruct both of the 101 freeway bridges at Linden Ave and Casitas Pass Road.
The Linden Avenue 101 freeway bridge will be widened to 3 lanes and the Casitas Pass Road 101 freeway bridge will be widened to four lanes with a center landscaped median.
Both bridges will have new sidewalks and bike paths on both sides of the bridges.
The project also includes extension of Via Real frontage road from Bailard Ave. to Linden Ave.
In addition, the 101 freeway bridge over Carpinteria Creek will be widened to accommodate the future highway widening project. To enhance bicycle accessibility to the coast, a new all-weather Class I bike path along Carpinteria Creek under the freeway and a new Class I bike path from Rincon County Park to Carpinteria Avenue will be constructed along with the other improvements.
Construction of this four year project is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2016.
Jim Kemp, Executive Director of the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments said, “The 101 freeway widening project is making great progress. The $60 million in funding for Phase III of the widening project will allow construction to begin this summer. With the Linden & Casitas Pass Interchange Project under construction we are nearing the halfway mark on the 101 freeway widening project. SBCAG will continue to work hard to finish the rest of the widening project to relieve traffic congestion on the 101 and local roads and support the south coast economy.“
— Gregg Hart is the public affairs and public information manager for SBCAG.