Santa Barbara’s Highway 101 Widening Project Avoids ‘Nightmare Scenario’

To the commuters who face daily congestion and traffic jams along the U.S. 101: Fear not. A nightmare scenario has been avoided. 

On Monday morning, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) and California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) celebrated a $132.4 million award for the Santa Barbara U.S. 101 Multimodal Corridor. Approved by the California Transportation Commission (CTC), the money will fund Highway 101 improvements in southern Santa Barbara County.

CTC Commissioner Hilary Norton presented the ceremonial check to local officials amid ongoing construction at the San Ysidro Overcrossing, right above the frequently congested stretch of highway between Montecito and Summerland. 

“The nightmare scenario was a gap of funding that would elongate the project and increase costs,” Santa Barbara County Supervisor Das Williams said. “So this is really good news for all local residents, whether or not you use this at peak hours.”

Several local, state, and federal officials attended the event, as well as representatives from Caltrans, California Highway Patrol, and County Fire — many of whom take the 101 corridor on a regular basis, referring to it as a “central artery” and “lifeline route” for California. 

The funding will go toward the construction of peak-hour carpool lanes in both directions for the full stretch of highway in Montecito, from Sheffield Drive to the Hermosillo off-ramp.

But it will also fund various other transportation upgrades for the region, including electric buses for the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District, coastal access improvements for pedestrians and cyclists, zero-emission vehicle charging stations, and contactless card readers for easier fare payment on Coastal Express commuter buses. 

This year’s $132.4 million award is part of a total $316 million invested in Santa Barbara County’s highway improvements through Senate Bill 1 (the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017). The approval was part of a $2 billion state investment from the 2021 federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and SB 1 grant programs, and it took nearly two years and multiple Santa Barbara and Ventura agencies to secure the competitive SB 1 funding.

The Highway 101 project — a 17-year highway widening and improvement effort with a $945 million price tag — is the second-highest-funded project in California to receive SB 1 funding. 

“The 101 is truly the transportation backbone of our community. It is what gets our working families to their jobs,” said Congressmember Salud Carbajal. “These investments from the federal law made possible by the Biden-Harris administration, and my colleagues in Congress, can help turn tax dollars into tangible results, delivering a real revitalization to our region.” 

Highway improvements have been a longtime promise to the community, with taxpayers contributing millions in matching funds through Measure A, a local transportation and sales tax, to relieve traffic congestion and improve safety on Highway 101. Lompoc Mayor Jenelle Osborne, chair of SBCAG Board of Directors, referred to the project’s progress as the “ultimate victory” for the 79 percent of regional voters who approved the measure back in 2008.

“The thing that I hear most from folks is, ‘How much longer is it going to take?’” said Assemblymember Gregg Hart. “This is a very complicated construction project. To keep two lanes of traffic going while we’re doing all this work is extraordinary and takes a lot of planning, a lot of foresight, and a lot of people.”

“We’re almost exactly on time,” he added. “If we’re in a marathon race, we can literally see the finish line around the corner.” 

Construction zones and bumper-to-bumper traffic have become staples in commuters’ day-to-day lives, especially those who can’t afford to live in Santa Barbara. Road Work Ahead signs are the familiar faces they dread passing on the way to their day jobs in the city. 

“A person who’s especially proud of this project, and proud of me today, is my father, who would commute from Thousand Oaks in Ventura County to Goleta,” Norton said. “There are real people like my dad who know exactly what this was like every morning and every afternoon.” 

But the transportation projects have also helped create more than 10,000 jobs along the 101 corridor, which many of Monday’s attending dignitaries expressed gratitude for. 

In the past few years, the massive project has begun to bear a semblance of completion between Carpinteria and Montecito — including new freeway lanes, roundabouts, sound walls, and safety barriers, as well as improved off-ramps and the temporary opening of the Santa Claus Lane Bikeway through Labor Day this year. Coming up next are roundabouts at Olive Mill and San Ysidro, and new bridges and freeway ramps along the Montecito segment of the highway.

While $145 million is still needed to fully fund the remaining Highway 101 construction in the City of Santa Barbara, the State, SBCAG, and Caltrans District 5 are working together to secure the necessary funding. Throughout construction, Highway 101 will continue to have two lanes open in each direction during the day.

To learn more about the Highway 101 Carpinteria to Santa Barbara Project and sign up for construction updates, visit sbroads.com or call (805) 845-5112.