As construction continues on the Montecito section of the Highway 101 project, the San Ysidro Road roundabout is scheduled to open this week along with the freeway overcrossing.
“People will see a lot of progress in the next few weeks, including the San Ysidro overcrossing reopening, the San Ysidro roundabout partially opening, the new northbound on-ramp at South Padaro/Santa Claus Lane opening, pavement grinding beginning in Summerland and all of the center medians built for each leg of the Olive Mill roundabout,” said Kirsten Ayars of Ayars and Associates.
Caltrans said Wednesday morning that the San Ysidro Road overcrossing will open Saturday and the roundabout will partially open. They were expected to open Wednesday but were delayed due to the weekend storm, Caltrans spokeswoman Alexa Bertola said.
The Olive Mill roundabout, on the eastern end of Coast Village Road, should finish construction this fall and the San Ysidro roundabout should be done in early 2024.
The huge Highway 101 projects adding a third lane between Carpinteria and Santa Barbara has taken years and will take years more to complete. Construction is working south to north and includes parallel projects for freeway ramps and frontage road work to address traffic congestion.
The Santa Claus Lane Bikeway, part of the Carpinteria segment, is currently open through Labor Day weekend, but will close again for safety barriers getting installed.
The Montecito segment of the project includes adding a new peak-period carpool lane in each direction from the Romero Creek bridge north to Olive Mill Road.
The Santa Barbara segment of the Highway 101 project is still undergoing the permitting process with the city, but will add a new peak period carpool lane in each direction between Olive Mill Road and Sycamore Creek.
The Santa Barbara segment will also reconstruct the Cabrillo Boulevard interchange with new bridges and right-hand freeway ramps.
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments public information manager Lauren Bianchi Klemann told Noozhawk the project team is planning to go before the Santa Barbara Planning Commission in October or November to obtain a coastal development permit.
In July, local leaders celebrated the $132.4 million award in Senate Bill 1 funding from the California Transportation Commission, which is set to fully fund the Montecito section of the Highway 101 project.
SBCAG is also pursuing more federal funding for the project, Bianchi Klemann said.