The construction making its way along Highway 101 arrived in Santa Barbara last week as the project enters the next stage.
This fourth phase of the Highway 101 construction project is between Olive Mill and Hermosillo roads. The project will widen the highway to three lanes on each side, and parallel projects include installing roundabouts, bike paths and more.
Caltrans District 5 Director Scott Eades praised the work done so far in a statement Thursday.
“We are seeing an amazing amount of progress in the Highway 101 corridor between Carpinteria and Santa Barbara,” Eades said. “The Carpinteria segment is complete, the Padaro segment is finishing up work in the median, the Summerland segment is being landscaped, the Montecito segment is building new bridges and ramps, and we are now underway in Santa Barbara south.”
Kirsten Ayars, a spokeswoman for the project, said drivers will see crews removing vegetation and trees along the southbound side, between Butterfly Lane and Olive Mill Road.
Ayars said the work may continue into next week, and residents could hear workers during the day and night.
More lane shifts in the area are expected, to give workers room for construction, she said.
Even though the Santa Barbara section of the project is beginning, crews are still finishing up work along other parts of Highway 101.
In the Padaro segment of the project, crews will be grinding down the road to add reinforced pavement. The new pavement will reduce the noise from tires on the freeway.
Workers in Montecito will be pile-driving to add underground support for the three new creek bridges.
Officials say residents near the Padaro segment should expect to hear noise at night to accommodate the pavement grinding. The pile-driving in Montecito will be done during the day.
The Highway 101 project began in 2008 and was designed to be separated into four phases, with construction moving generally south to north.
The Santa Barbara portion of phase four was split into two sections — north and south.
The southern portion is underway, but officials are waiting for funding to begin the northern portion. The project is scheduled to begin in 2026 and finish by 2028.
Ayars said officials hope to hear about additional funding for the project by next summer. The estimated cost of the fourth phase of construction is $700 million.
“The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments and Caltrans are submitting funding applications to a couple of different programs at the state for Senate Bill 1 funding, and those applications go in this fall,” Ayars said.
The funding also will be used to complete improvements at the Cabrillo Boulevard intersection with the highway. A roundabout is under construction at the Cabrillo Boulevard intersection with Los Patos Way and Channel Drive, near the Santa Barbara Cemetery.
To learn more about the full Highway 101 project, visit sbroads.com. Residents can also view live feeds of the construction sites by clicking the Construction Update tab or clicking here.
