Castillo Onramp, Underpass Getting More Repairs

Caltrans is now in the throes of yet another effort to fix the long leaking Castillo Street onramp and underpass, an exercise slated to cost $873,000. Construction work is expected to last until sometime this September. That underpass has been leaking since the 1970s, having been built below sea level and atop a water table with plenty in it. Traffic engineers with the City of Santa Barbara have expressed exasperation that Caltrans is not pursing a permanent solution to a problem that’s been the focus of at least six temporary solutions thus far. The latest fix is slated to provide relief for about five years. Caltrans spokesperson Jim Shivers said a permanent repair would be sufficiently expensive to require the cooperation of local partners that don’t currently exist.