Tag archives: 101
On Friday, June 17, community leaders marked the opening of the new freeway carpool lanes and project completion with a community celebration featuring local transit riders alongside Congressman Salud Carbajal, State Senator Monique Limón, Supervisor Das Williams, Carpinteria Mayor Wade Nomura, and local neighbors. This is the first completed segment of the Highway 101: Carpinteria […]
The Montecito Planning Commission had its first opportunity to look at the freeway widening project through Montecito last week, with a conceptual hearing held last Wednesday. The project had previously been seen by Montecito Board of Architectural Review in September, February, and March. Project planner Chris Schmuckal gave Commissioners a background on the regional transportation […]
These K-Rails on the 101 are extreme causes of fear. Who pays for the cleanup after accidents, including the semi on fire in Summerland backing up traffic for hours? Does the City have recourse for cleaning up after the fire and accidents? This superhighway they are building will have big effects on the community. I […]
Not long ago, saying “I live in Summerland” would trigger a puzzled “where?” Then someone would mention the Big Yellow House. Had the restaurant then been empty and a shade of white as it is today, the landmark might have been the enormous LIQUOR sign looming over town. The next place to dog Summerland just […]
Members of the Highway 101 widening team through Montecito were in front of the Montecito Board of Architectural Review last week for the second time, reviewing aesthetic features of the project related to fencing, landscaping, and lighting. The project, which will widen the freeway to three lanes in each direction between Sycamore Creek in the […]
At this month’s Montecito Association Land Use & Transportation Committee meeting, the group heard from Carla Leal of Cox Communications, who reported on new gas-powered generators being installed in Montecito. The project, which aims to install 49 generators throughout the Montecito area, stemmed from a decision issued by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) earlier […]
In this, the Journal’s third profile of the people who work behind the scenes in the biggest infrastructure project to hit Montecito in recent memory, we meet Sarah Sandstrom, Caltrans’ aquatic resource manager. According to Tim Gubbins, Caltrans District 5 Director, Sandstrom is a key player in the agency’s effort to protect the environment as […]
Assuming that Montecito makes it through the next few years without any major wildfires, floods, mudslides, earthquakes, or tsunamis (okay, so that last potential natural disaster seems about as likely as a meteor strike), then the biggest story that will affect everyone in town for the foreseeable future is the 101 Freeway widening project. With […]
Have you noticed how the Highway 101 traffic flow has changed with the construction work now in full swing? Heading north from the Padaro Lane onramp through Summerland, most of the traffic was traveling in the right lane – due to the white cement barriers, which do make the fast lane scarily hairy! There are […]
It has been more than 25 years since the formal adoption of the Montecito Community Plan, crafted by concerned citizens, who were charged with protecting and preserving the special, small town, semi-rural residential character of our community. Back in 1995, semi-rural meant the lack of sidewalks and traffic lights, narrow winding roads, subtle road signage, […]
Q. Palm trees are being suggested as part of the recently rolled-out design schemes for the new 101 and Coast Village Road projects. I see from national news reports that palms throughout Southern California are dying from disease and being removed. Why are we installing palms if everyone else is getting rid of them? A. […]
Running for Congress I have been called upon by dozens of leaders throughout the Central Coast who believe we need and deserve better representation in the halls of Congress than currently is the case. Whereas, I have never had any personal political ambitions, I am, nevertheless, going to answer that call. That is because, just […]
Several weeks ago, Caltrans closed the Hot Springs 101 offramp, causing huge traffic delays. The intention for the closure was to clean out a homeless encampment – but it seems Caltrans forgot a few things. It’s nice to have the brush cut back – but really Caltrans, finish what you started! Come back and pick […]
To plan for the future, it is helpful to recall the past. Montecito’s relationship with the 101 highway dates back 92 years to 1927 when residents approached the State Division of Highways asking them to pave the two dirt lanes through Montecito. John Jameson led a crusade to design America’s first scenic parkway, using planted […]
Heal the Ocean (HTO) has received numerous (some irate) phone calls regarding the mud being deposited on Goleta and Carpinteria beaches. Television media has also called for a response from us. We told them, and everyone else, we were investigating and would let everyone know when we knew the answer. We at HTO don’t believe […]
