Drivers going through Montecito may want to leave a few minutes early as a series of lane changes is affecting traffic on Highway 101.
As part of the Highway 101 project to add lanes in southern Santa Barbara County, a northbound section’s lanes are shifted left and split with concrete dividers.
“The reason we have the lanes divided is we have to protect the bridge columns in the middle,” said Kirsten Ayars, a spokesperson for the project that’s being managed by Caltrans and the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments.
Additionally, Ayars stated that the two lanes will provide construction crews with space to work on the highway. The 1 mile of divided highway is between Olive Mill Road and Hixon Road in Montecito.
Crews implemented the lane changes on Sunday and they are expected to stay in place until next summer.
Traffic in this area will be directed by a mix of concrete barriers and orange plastic cones, called channelizers. The channelizers allow emergency vehicles to drive over them to get through traffic.
Ayars said drivers sometimes feel like they have less space on the new lane splits.
However, she stated that the lanes are the standard 12 feet wide, so drivers have the same space as before.
“Also, slow down. The speeds in the area should be at a max 55 (miles per hour),” Ayars said. “If you’re going slower, great. It’s new and we want people to be safe as they approach it.”
She also stated that the lanes will work like a normal highway segment, with drivers who want to use an off-ramp remaining in the right-hand lane. Drivers going through the area can remain in the left-hand lane.
Montecito Progress for Highway 101 Project
The lane splits were planned as part of the Highway 101 construction project from Carpinteria to Santa Barbara.
The project is adding a lane in each direction and replacing bridges. There are also surface street projects aimed at improving traffic in the area, like the new roundabouts at Olive Mill Road and San Ysidro Road near the freeway.
Construction is currently underway on the Montecito phase of the Highway 101 project.
In addition to the lane changes, the northbound off-ramp at San Ysidro Road is closed, according to project leaders. Once crews are finished with construction to the ramp, they will move on to the Olive Mill Road off-ramp.
After this phase is finished, the Santa Barbara section will add a lane in each direction between Olive Mill Road and Hermosillo Road.
To learn more about the project, visit sbroads.com.
