As the next phase of the Highway 101 project is set to begin in August, the City of Santa Barbara’s parallel projects continue to make progress.
Construction for the Cabrillo Boulevard-Los Patos Way Roundabout Project began in February and is set to finish in spring 2025. It’s the first phase of a larger project along East Cabrillo Boulevard between Los Patos Way and the Cabrillo interchange, which includes the construction of a single-lane roundabout at the intersection of East Cabrillo Boulevard and Los Patos Way.
The second phase will include replacing the Union Pacific Railroad bridge over East Cabrillo Boulevard and pedestrian and bicycle improvements.
Before construction began, the intersection at East Cabrillo Boulevard and Los Patos Way had only a two-way stop.
Adam Hendel, principal engineer for the city’s Public Works Department, said the current traffic control in place will remain until August. Stop signs then will be added until construction is fully complete.
The city also is working to replace the railroad bridge that goes over East Cabrillo Boulevard. The project is currently in the design phase, Hendel said it was unclear when construction will begin but that it will be coordinated with the Highway 101 project.
The Highway 101 project is split into several segments. Work began in Montecito in June, and construction in Santa Barbara between Olive Mill Road and Hermosillo Road is expected to start in late August, according to Fred Luna, director of project delivery and construction for the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments.
Construction in Montecito and between Olive Mill Road and Hermosillo Road is expected to finish in late 2026, according to Luna.
The next segment, known as the Santa Barbara north segment, will include reconstruction of the Cabrillo interchange. That segment is in the design phase, and construction is set to start in early 2026, if the county receives funding for it. The county won’t know whether it received funding until next June, according to Luna.
“The railroad bridge design is a separate city project, but it is part of the overall funding application that we’re seeking,” Luna said. “We’ve been coordinating closely with the city since those two projects are very near to each other, and they’re related on how they would get built and coordinated during construction.”
