Exactly how to best move traffic through the Las Positas and Cliff Drive intersection has long been a discussion among the Santa Barbara City Council, and on Tuesday, it will look at a third option: a skinnier, cheaper roundabout.
Last June, the council voted to move ahead with a traffic signal at the intersection instead of a more costly roundabout, its preferred approach to what is now a three-way stop. It also directed staff to research whether other bids would come in lower than the $1.9 million estimated for a roundabout. Even if the city sticks with the $850,000 traffic signal for intersection, it would still need another to come up with another $40,000 for the project.
Now, the council will hear from staff about a third option, which would still cost more than the city has at $1.4 million.
Eliminating or reducing the landscaping and hardscaping and reducing the diameter of the roundabout from 150 feet to 120 feet would reduce the cost of the roundabout alternative to $1.4 million.
Removing all sidewalk, access and bike ramps, landscaping and irrigation, and shortening medians on the east and west legs of the intersection were also looked at as staff researched alternatives, but “it was determined that basic provisions for pedestrians and bicyclists would be necessary to achieve community standards for a transportation project,” the staff report said.
To consider the skinnier roundabout, staff will need the City Council’s authorization and direction to proceed with a design allowing for minimal aesthetic features, “which will raise design review issues,” the staff report said.
The intersection, which ranges in level of service from A, the highest, to F, depending on the time of day, with afternoon and evening times being the most congested.
With a traffic signal, engineers expect a level of service B, declining to a C by 2035.
With a roundabout, traffic levels would be at level B and stay at B by 2035.
The city was awarded a $750,000 grant for the construction phase of the project, which would nearly fully fund the construction for the light.
Tuesday’s meeting is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 735 Anacapa St.
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
