Caltrans representatives pledged to closely monitor impacts created by one safety measure planned for Highway 1 near Vandenberg Village and revealed they have started exploring a different project for another segment that also has seen deadly crashes. 

State transportation officials held a meeting Wednesday night to outline the proposed left-turn ban for the intersection of Highway 1 at Santa Luca Canyon Road between Vandenberg Space Force Base and Vandenberg Village near Lompoc.

About 50 people braved the cold, rainy night to attend the meeting in the Cabrillo High School cafeteria, where Caltrans also spoke about pursuing another safety project in a stretch of Highway 1 that also has seen deadly crashes.

The Highway 1 intersection at Santa Lucia has had multiple fatal crashes, most broadside collisions, that also left people with critical injuries, prompting a push to draft short-, medium- and long-term solutions. 

Within months, Caltrans expects to implement a ban on left turns from Santa Lucia Canyon Road, forcing drivers to only turn right onto Highway 1, travel to the Constellation Road exit and then re-enter the highway to travel north. The agency’s engineers estimate the switch will add four to five minutes, including waiting at the traffic signals. 

The solution came after months of meetings and analysis about incidents at the intersections.

“When we make a safety-related improvement, we have to study what the impacts are operationally to make sure that we don’t create a worse problem later on,” said Peter Hendrix, chief of traffic safety for Caltrans District 5. 

Engineers conducted assessments to determine whether the Constellation intersection will accommodate larger trucks.

Despite the change, Caltrans still will allow access for emergency vehicles to make left turns to avoid interfering with response times.

Santa Lucia Canyon Road serves as an evacuation route during fires or other emergencies , Lompoc Mayor Jim Mosby said, but Caltrans representatives responded that in that type of emergency the vehicles could turn left. 

Additionally, left turns from Highway 1 onto Santa Lucia Canyon Road will continue to be allowed. 

A resident asked about possible timing changes for traffic signals at nearby intersections. 

“We will be monitoring this very closely ongoing because we recognize we’re sending traffic through your town,” said John Olejnik, Caltrans transportation planning chief. “We’re going to know, because first of all because you’re going to tell us.”

“It’s already not working,” one man muttered.

The ban on left turns will be a short-term solution implemented within six to nine months with signage and pavement markings to help direct drivers.

Caltrans will seek funding for a medium-term fix to extend the right-turn acceleration lane for the additional traffic accessing Highway 1 from Santa Lucia, according to Diane Dostalek, a Caltrans engineer.

They also may undertake minor modifications at the Constellation Road interchange to help mitigate the additional traffic, she added. 

That phase of improvement would take two to five years to implement. 

“We do realize that this is not a long-term solution. We can’t close this off and keep it like that forever,” Dostalek said.

The long-term, and much more costly, fix involves constructing an interchange at Santa Lucia Canyon Road, which is used to access the Lompoc Federal Correctional Complex, Vandenberg Pine Canyon entrance (also known as Lompoc Gate) and the southside of Lompoc to avoid traveling the busier North H Street.

A first step to getting the interchange will involve completing a planning study with the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments to start the lengthy process toward getting the project funded and built. 

“It’s a somewhat rural location, but it’s a strategic interchange for the Space Force base,” Hendrix said. 

Another Safety Project Eyed for Nearby

While the Highway 1/Santa Lucia Canyon Road intersection has been the focus, a segment of Highway 1 south of Vandenberg Village has caused concerns because of a number of head-on crashes and received High Friction Surface Treatment to reduce slippery conditions. 

“This should help keep tires on the road,” Hendrix said.

Caltrans also has a project to improve pavement for the long stretch of Highway 1 between Lompoc and Vandenberg’s Main Gate. 

Retired trauma surgeon Dr. Sue Mandibles lives in a neighborhood near the site of the head-on crashes, adding that she hears and sees the wrecks.

“Putting up two highway speed limit signs, that’s not deterring (drivers). They come onto Highway 1 from Constellation, and by the time they hit the lane, they’re going 80 mph,” Mandibles said.

She asked about installing K-rails, or concrete barriers or other types of dividers, to stop out-of-control vehicles from crossing into the opposing traffic’s lanes. 

“In terms of that section of the roadway, we are looking at possibly qualifying a different safety project,” Hendrix said. “We are looking at something at that location to correct that long term.’

The various solutions followed talks involving elected officials, SBCAG representatives, military leaders at Vandenberg SFB, law enforcement officers and Caltrans staff. 

“This has been a long time coming,” said Lt. Col. David Temple, Vandenberg’s chief of installation support, before praising the multiple-agency partnership focused on improving public safety for local residents and visitors traveling the route. 

“I think it’s a Band-Aid. I think we can do better. I know we need to do something. I think this is an emergency Band-Aid we’re putting on,” Mosby said after the meeting about the proposal.