Judging by the skid marks, the surprising narrowing of State Route 217 — also called the Ward Memorial Freeway — might trigger points as extra folks start to return to UC Santa Barbara prematurely of the autumn quarter, which begins on September 28. SR 217 can be one of many sooner methods to achieve the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport and Goleta Seashore Park by way of Sandspit Highway.
For 2 nights, nevertheless, motorists who usually use the 217 will need to take Fairview as an alternative to get to the airport, the college, or Goleta Seashore Park as a result of the 217 shall be closed. For a number of months, and with some delays, Caltrans has been notifying that it will likely be working to switch the bridge over San Jose Creek because it runs by way of the Goleta Slough. One aspect of the bridge shall be rebuilt at a time — first the east (or the aspect headed towards the mountains), then the west (or the aspect headed towards the seashore).
The lanes going towards the seashore, or west, are actually narrowed to 1 because it goes over the bridge, and the lanes headed towards U.S. 101, or east, are to maneuver onto that westbound aspect. A bicycle path can even be quickly established on that westbound aspect.
To maneuver the Okay-rails, repave, and restripe the brand new street’s pathway, SR 217 will shut in a single day on Monday and Tuesday. Beginning at 10 p.m. and ending at 6 a.m. on each August 28 and August 29, site visitors headed towards the 101 must get off at Sandspit Highway and take a roundabout path to Fairview Avenue by way of James Fowler Highway by the airport. The reverse is the detour to get from the 101 to the seashore or the college.
To stop entry to the closed 217, the on-ramp from Hollister and each the on-ramp and off-ramp for Sandspit Highway shall be closed these two nights.
By Labor Day, the bridge site visitors shall be diminished to 1 lane in every path, although the precise timing for that is still unknown, in line with Caltrans.
The $26 million undertaking will reconstruct a bridge that’s 60 years previous to 1 that may stand up to flood elevations and meet present requirements. A completion date is about for summer time 2025, although extra work is anticipated in fall 2027.
On the 101, one other bridge over San Jose Creek can even reroute site visitors quickly. On Tuesday, September 5, and Wednesday, September 6, from 10 p.m. to six a.m., Caltrans shall be realigning a short lived barrier and restriping lanes as a way to cross the northbound site visitors, or autos headed towards Gaviota, over to the southbound bridge.
The northbound aspect of the bridge will begin to be demolished on Thursday, September 7. This bridge is even older, relationship again to 1946 and widened in 1989. The $20 million undertaking is anticipated to be full by June 2026. The work on each tasks is by contractor M.C.M. Building of North Highlands, California.
For extra, Caltrans created a video to elucidate the roadway diversions: https://youtu.be/q68ssxPZ4G0?si=VJbs8hRo_PzsVVYS.
