To to celebrate the re-establishment of the roads leading to and through Rancho Guadalupe Dunes Park, the Santa Barbara County Public Works and Community Service departments will hold a ribbon-cutting, 11 a.m. Friday, March 22 at the park kiosk, 6000 block of West Main Street.

With the road construction completed, visitors can now enjoy the park. During the January 2023 storms, access to the Rancho Guadalupe Dunes was closed when the road between the sand plant near the park entrance and the beach washed out.

In subsequent storms, the natural path of the Santa Maria River shifted to the south, damaged the main entrance, washed out nearly 2,000 feet of roadway west of the gate, and cut off access to the original washed-out section of roadway.

The project to re-establish the road and open the park had a higher degree of difficulty due to the need for a full damage assessment and the location of the road in an extremely sensitive wildlife habitat area, the county reports.

Rebuilding the road in the area required permitting and coordination with federal, state and local agencies. With a coordinated effort, the three-phase, FEMA-funded project restored access to the park within one year.

Event speakers will include Fifth District County Supervisor Steve Lavagnino; Deputy Public Works Director Chris Sneddon; and Community Services Director Jesus Armas.