SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Often called the most confusing intersection on the Central Coast, the solution is coming next month on Olive Mill Road, Coast Village Road. and Route 101 merge.
The Olive Mill Roundabout project begins in November.
“This intersection is one of the worst working intersections,” said Santa Barbara County Superintendent Das Williams.
This is a joint project with the City of Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County, CalTrans, the Santa Barbara County Government Association, and other agencies, boards, commissions, and commissions.
It’s an area where drivers often don’t know who to ‘turn’, and the addition of North Jameson Lane traffic, pedestrians, and cyclists is not only congested at peak times, it’s also dangerous.
“This is a unique intersection and I don’t think I’ve ever seen one like it before,” said Joe Erwin, CalTrans Corridor Manager.
The very important work of the first phase will take place in December.
Most of the work is expected to be completed by the summer of 2023.
The project sits where the county property of Montecito and the city property of Santa Barbara meet.
Meetings with businesses and property owners raised concerns about work schedules, traffic delays, business impact and noise. This was carried out by the new Coast Village Improvement Association attended by CalTrans and government leaders.
Association President Trey Pinner said, “This is a great way to show off this roundabout to the community. It’s well designed and looks great. We’re looking forward to it. We’re need it.”
“Look for detours, get used to ramps and expect detours if they are currently closed,” Irwin said.
“There seems to be a lot of access to Coast Village Road through Hermosillo. I’m at the end of the street, so there’s a lot of traffic,” said property owner Jeff Harding.
The owner of the Montecito Inn said construction work at night would affect the hotel and the financial loss to the business would be significant.
“The construction isn’t fun, but the end result will be better intersections and better traffic flow,” Williams said.
Other businesses were concerned about how customers could enter and exit the area.
Occasionally, both the North and Soundbound ramps of the highway are closed.
There is constant traffic flow during construction and the intersection is never closed.
However, there may be a delay of 5-10 minutes. Traffic control personnel are on site.
For those who didn’t like roundabouts, Irwin said:
The project will reduce traffic to one lane in and out of the roundabout opening. Recommended speed is 20 mph.
Overall, Highway 101 in the region is still scheduled for widening projects over the next few years, and this roundabout is part of the transportation solution.
“Before any highway project is completed, it will be very important to ensure that there are no severe swells during construction,” Williams said.
For more information, please visit SBRoads.com.
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