The Ashley Road bridge in Montecito reopened Thursday after its closure from the devastating debris flows that ripped through the community more than two years ago.
The bridge, located between East Mountain Drive and Sycamore Canyon Road, was one of several county and Caltrans bridges severely damaged or destroyed in the Jan. 9, 2018, debris flows.
The $1.8 million bridge connects East Mountain Road to Sycamore Canyon Road, and it provides vital access to a nearby Montecito Fire Protection District station and Cold Springs Elementary School, according to Santa Barbara County Public Works spokesman Lael Wageneck.
The new bridge includes a higher arch and longer span to allow a 100-year storm event to pass under the structure, and it has a natural sandstone facade to match the style of the previous arch bridge, Wageneck added.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Thursday at the bridge to celebrate completion of the long-awaited project. Several residents, government officials and local partners attended.
“We are proud of this project because it’s an improved bridge that also has the same look and feel of the previous bridge,” Public Works Director Scott McGolpin said at the gathering. “I want to thank my public works team for prioritizing the re-creation of many features contained within our 1918 structure to make this feel like home again to the residents in this neighborhood.”
During the debris flows in 2018, Cold Springs Creek was overwhelmed by materials that tumbled down fire-denuded mountains above Montecito.
Debris from the blackened hillsides traveled an estimated 14 feet above the Cold Springs Basin and down to the Ashley Road bridge one-third of a mile downstream, according to county Public Works.
Stone railings from the bridge were demolished and swept away, and the spandrel wall along the right side of the arch was significantly damaged. Sections of the abutments also had broken away and were washed downstream.
The original bridge was demolished in June 2018, and it was replaced with a temporary bridge for emergency vehicle access.
Montecito Fire Chief Kevin Taylor also addressed the crowd at Thursday’s gathering. He highlighted the importance of roads and bridges in responding to fires and other emergencies.
“For the Montecito Fire department, this bridge, and all bridges that come back into our system of roads here in Montecito, mean a few more minutes we can arrive to a scene earlier,” Taylor said. “While we hope we will not need to see evacuations for a long time, this bridge means not only a safer flow of traffic but also greater ease of mind for all of our planning efforts to be resilient, ready and prepared.”
Project funding came from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the California Office of Emergency Services and county maintenance money.
Santa Barbara-based Granite Construction served as the contractor on the project that started in August 2019.
At the event, First District Supervisor Das Williams spoke of partnerships that are helping the recovery process in Montecito.
“The stones from the old Ashley Road bridge are proof of the ongoing transformation and endless possibilities of our recovery as they are now part of the Cold Springs Trail that was reopened in early January,” Williams said. “Those stones are also a symbol of the difference that a small group, and even one person, can make in the community when we work together — benefiting thousands more each year and into the future.”
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— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
