Tag archives: Caltrans
When you wrote the article about Caltrans tearing down the iconic trees in the Montecito median in order to expand the freeway, one of their excuses was that it would allow them to limit tearing up the landscape on the edges of the freeway. I wrote a letter questioning many of the positions Caltrans was […]
Regarding the “Ring Nets” installed in the canyons above Montecito in response to the disastrous mudslide of January 9, 2018: As the Executive Director of an environmental organization in Santa Barbara, I joined the Board of The Project for Resilient Communities (TPRC) to watch the proceedings from an environmental point of view. The Ring Nets […]
The project team behind the 101 expansion and associated projects in Montecito are making the rounds this week, preparing the community for impending traffic delays. Representatives for the project, along with spokesperson Kirsten Ayars, will be at the Montecito Inn this week, on Thursday, June 1, at 4 pm, to discuss the staging timeline for […]
The Board of Supervisors heard the appeals filed by Scott Smigel and Bruce Mackenzie of the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission’s approval of the 101-widening project for the 1.4 miles from Olive Mill to San Ysidro. Chris Schmuckal, county planner for the 101 project, gave the staff presentation. Prior to February 2022, sound walls had […]
I feel I must reply to the Journal’s article (“The MPC Shuffle”) of Jan. 26 regarding my removal from the Montecito Planning Commission, as it contained several errors. Additionally, there were important issues that I raised at the hearing before the Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors to which they did not respond, and which the Journal […]
Summerland Citizens Association BOD (SCABOD) is happy to report that on October 24, CalTrans successfully hit their target date for opening the Evans 101 Northbound onramp. During onramp closure, MTD was forced to make adjustments for the Line 20 bus in Summerland, which meant additional efforts had to be made by the passengers. Some of […]
Montecito residents are eager for the pedestrian undercrossing at Butterfly Lane to reopen, which is expected to be later this week, according to a Caltrans rep. The under passing has been closed entirely since December 2021, which has allowed for the construction of walls and stairways compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Construction […]
At this month’s Montecito Association Land Use Committee meeting earlier this week, reps from several agencies shared their upcoming schedules related to road construction work in Montecito. Last week bids were opened on the sewer main relocation at Olive Mill and San Ysidro, which is preliminary work in anticipation of the two roundabouts that are […]
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 […]
Last week, Montecito Board of Architectural Review looked at several more design components of the 101 widening project through Montecito, potentially the last of a series of conceptual review meetings before the project comes back for preliminary approval once Caltrans’ application for the project is deemed complete by Santa Barbara County. As we’ve reported, four […]
Last week, Public Works representatives were in front of the Historic Landmarks Commission to present conceptual options related to the initial Mission Canyon Bridge Studies effort. The complicated project will ultimately enhance safety along the sensitive corridor and Mission Canyon Bridge, which spans Mission Creek and is located to the north of Mission Santa Barbara […]
Earlier this week, the Montecito Association Land Use and Transportation Committee heard from Caltrans reps regarding a new project that will bring the pedestrian freeway undercrossing at Butterfly Lane up to ADA compliance. The project will begin in late fall of this year, through late spring 2022, and it will cause the closure of the […]
Kirsten Ayars, rep for the Highway 101 widening project, reported on Tuesday at the Montecito Association Land Use and Transportation Committee that recent attempts at deterring the double crested cormorants in the construction area at Sheffield Drive have been negatively affecting neighbors, and that plans have shifted in order to deter the birds while not […]
With ongoing construction on the Sheffield Drive bridge as part of the Highway 101 widening project, many drivers have noticed mylar streamers and balloons in the eucalyptus trees on the nearby bluffs. Both the Audubon Society and Heal the Ocean have received many concerns over what looks like broken mylar balloons in the trees. Kirsten […]
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 […]
Last time inthis ongoing series of profiles of the people leading the 101 Freeway widening project currently taking place in Carpinteria, Summerland, and Montecito, we introduced you to the project’s head honcho, Fred Luna, director of project delivery and construction for the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments. This month, we introduce readers to another […]
By the time you read this, the outcome of the U.S. presidential race may not be decided, but one thing will be certain: The much-anticipated 101 Freeway widening project, which will add two new lanes between Summerland and Santa Barbara over the next three years, will not only not be over, it will have already […]
Water Well Done Great job on the first water piece in last week’s Journal by Nick Schou. Water is very critical for us and a healthy environment but the issues surrounding it can get complicated very quickly. I have been very involved in both our local and statewide water issues for over three decades and […]
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Caltrans has announced that the first phase of the highway widening from Carpinteria to Santa Barbara will begin the evening of Sunday, April 5. This phase of the project is called Highway 101: Carpinteria, and it will add a peak-period carpool lane to the freeway in each direction within the City […]
Nearly two years after being washed away during the 1/9 debris flow, the Montecito Creek Bridge was reopened on Friday, November 22, the last of six bridges along State Route 192 to be replaced or repaired following the disaster. “I am very pleased that we can bring a small sense of normalcy to a community […]
