PROJECTS & PROGRAMS
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Project Description
This project will widen Highway 101 from 4 to 6 lanes between the city of Carpinteria and the city of Santa Barbara to improve safety, reduce traffic congestion and match the 6 lane highway south of Carpinteria and north of Santa Barbara. Funding will be used in combination with $285 million in state and federal gas taxes to accelerate the project schedule by an estimated 10 years.
This project will widen Highway 101 from 4 to 6 lanes between the city of Carpinteria and the city of Santa Barbara to improve safety, reduce traffic congestion and match the 6 lane highway south of Carpinteria and north of Santa Barbara. Funding will be used in combination with $285 million in state and federal gas taxes to accelerate the project schedule by an estimated 10 years.
Click on the map below to view a larger version (.pdf)
The Measure A funded project is Phase 4 on the graphic above. The new lanes added be High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes between the city of Carpinteria and the city of Santa Barbara, a distance of 10 miles. Highway 101 is one of two north-south highways in California that connect the Los Angeles basin, with a population of 13 million, and the greater San Francisco Bay Area, with a population of 7 million. The other north-south highway, Interstate 5, is periodically closed due to inclement weather and US 101 serves as the primary north-south route in California during those periods. The corridor provides access from Central Coast agricultural operations to markets around the country. Highway 101 also provides critical access to Vandenberg Air Force Base in central Santa Barbara County. The entire project corridor is within the Santa Barbara urbanized area which includes the University of California at Santa Barbara, defense-related businesses, and hundreds of businesses related to the tourism industry.
On a daily basis commuters from neighboring Ventura County, interregional truck traffic, and tourists contribute to the facility’s average daily traffic of 90,000 vehicles per day, exceeding the capacity of the four-lane facility for hours at a time, bringing this 10 mile segment of highway to a crawl. Upon completion of the HOV widening project, the corridor will be a part of a continuous 40 mile, 6-lane facility, extending from the city of Ventura in Ventura County to the city of Goleta in Santa Barbara County. The corridor will include 16 miles of continuous HOV lanes. This 10 mile segment, and an adjacent 6 mile segment to the south at the Ventura/Santa Barbara county line that will be constructed in 2011, will be the first HOV lanes on the Central Coast of California.
The total estimated cost of the project is $425 million. The project will be funded by $140 million from Measure A, the local transportation sales tax, and $285 million in state and federal funding. Because of its length and expense, the 10 mile project may itself have to be delivered in an estimated five segments spread out over 10 years. The first segment is scheduled for construction in 2015/16. The eight cities in the county, the County of Santa Barbara, and the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments have adopted positions supporting the US 101 HOV widening as our region’s highest priority transportation project for federal funding.
On a daily basis commuters from neighboring Ventura County, interregional truck traffic, and tourists contribute to the facility’s average daily traffic of 90,000 vehicles per day, exceeding the capacity of the four-lane facility for hours at a time, bringing this 10 mile segment of highway to a crawl. Upon completion of the HOV widening project, the corridor will be a part of a continuous 40 mile, 6-lane facility, extending from the city of Ventura in Ventura County to the city of Goleta in Santa Barbara County. The corridor will include 16 miles of continuous HOV lanes. This 10 mile segment, and an adjacent 6 mile segment to the south at the Ventura/Santa Barbara county line that will be constructed in 2011, will be the first HOV lanes on the Central Coast of California.
The total estimated cost of the project is $425 million. The project will be funded by $140 million from Measure A, the local transportation sales tax, and $285 million in state and federal funding. Because of its length and expense, the 10 mile project may itself have to be delivered in an estimated five segments spread out over 10 years. The first segment is scheduled for construction in 2015/16. The eight cities in the county, the County of Santa Barbara, and the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments have adopted positions supporting the US 101 HOV widening as our region’s highest priority transportation project for federal funding.
Phase 1 - Milpas to Hot Springs Operational Improvements Project
Construction on the first phase of the Highway 101 freeway widening south of Santa Barbara began in Summer 2008. Construction is scheduled for completion in 2012 with a cost of $53 million.
The 101 freeway will be widened to three lanes southbound from Milpas Street to the Hot Springs/Cabrillo intersection in Montecito. Northbound, a new auxiliary lane will be added from the Hot Springs/Cabrillo onramp and the Salinas off ramp and a new third lane will be added from Salinas past Milpas Street. Construction will take four years and two lanes in both directions will remain open during construction. The project is funded by a combination of SBCAG Regional Measure D funds and state gas tax funds.
The 101 freeway will be widened to three lanes southbound from Milpas Street to the Hot Springs/Cabrillo intersection in Montecito. Northbound, a new auxiliary lane will be added from the Hot Springs/Cabrillo onramp and the Salinas off ramp and a new third lane will be added from Salinas past Milpas Street. Construction will take four years and two lanes in both directions will remain open during construction. The project is funded by a combination of SBCAG Regional Measure D funds and state gas tax funds.
Phase 2 - Santa Barbara County/Ventura County Highway 101 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lanes
The second phase of the 101 widening project is also now fully funded by Proposition 1B State Bonds and will begin construction in 2011. This $151 million project will widen the freeway to three lanes in both directions from La Conchita in Ventura County north to Carpinteria.
Phase 3 - Linden Avenue/Casitas Pass Interchanges with Highway 101
Phase three includes reconstructing interchanges on Highway 101 at both Linden Avenue and Casitas Pass. Additional improvements include replacing the Carpinteria Creek Bridge and providing new a connection at Via Real. Construction of these improvements scheduled to begin in 2014 and completed in 2017. The phase is estimated to cost $65 million for construction and will be funded with state gas tax funds.
Project Contacts
Fred Luna, Principal Transportation Engineer
Scott Eades, Caltrans
Fred Luna, Principal Transportation Engineer
Scott Eades, Caltrans