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Construction on Santa Claus Lane Bikeway begins Sept. 6
The Santa Claus Lane Bikeway project will begin construction after Labor Day and run through summer 2023. The project will create a new Class I bikeway and multipurpose path to connect Santa Claus Lane to Carpinteria Avenue. This will close a gap in the California Coastal Trail between Sand Point Road and Carpinteria Avenue. The new bikeway will be constructed between Highway 101 and the railroad tracks.
As part of the bikeway project, the intersection at Carpinteria Avenue and Estero Street will be updated with new crosswalks, signage, landscaping, curbs and gutters and bike lanes. At the western end of the project, a new vehicular turnaround will be built at the end of Santa Claus Lane.
Bikeway construction will necessitate closing alternate business driveways off Carpinteria Avenue for short periods of time. The western first and third driveways will be closed from September to November. The middle driveway will be closed after the surrounding driveways from November to December. Driveways on either side of each driveway closure will remain open.
At the end of Santa Claus Lane, a teardrop-shaped turnaround will be constructed to allow cars to head west on Santa Claus Lane. Large trucks will be required to enter southbound Highway 101 using the on-ramp.
During construction, access to Sand Point Road will be available only adjacent to the start of the teardrop turnaround construction area. From November to December 2022, access to Sand Point Road will be one lane only. Drivers will need to check for oncoming cars prior to exiting or entering Sand Point Road. Please note that during this time and for the majority of bikeway construction, the Highway 101 southbound on-ramp at Santa Claus will be closed.
The bikeway is being built in coordination with the Highway 101: Padaro project. Please visit www.SBROADS.com to see maps, graphics, photos, construction updates and descriptions of the improvements.
For more information, visit the project website at www.SBROADS.com, call (805) 845-5112 or send an email to info@sbroads.com.
Prescribed burn at UCSB Lagoon scheduled for mid-SeptemberThe Santa Barbara County Fire Department, in conjunction with UCSB’s Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration (CCBER), has tentatively scheduled a one-day Prescribed Burn at UCSB Lagoon near Campus Point with a targeted burn window of the week of Sept. 12. This one-day burn is part of an ongoing management effort to control non-native grasses and establish native bluff scrub vegetation. Building on successful past burns, this treatment will be conducted on a day within the burn window with the least amount of fog to generate enough heat to reduce the viability of the non-native seed bank, and on a day with the best conditions for dispersion.
Approximately 0.5 acres will be burned. As conditions permit, the burn is scheduled to begin in the late morning or early afternoon and conclude by 4 p.m. on a permissive burn day. The actual burn is likely to last less than an hour. Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) staff have reviewed the Smoke Management Plan and provided conditions to minimize smoke impacts in Santa Barbara County. The burn will be conducted when the meteorological conditions are highly favorable to direct smoke away from population centers.
This prescribed burn is planned and coordinated by the Santa Barbara County APCD, San Luis Obispo County APCD, San Joaquin Valley APCD, Ventura County APCD and the California Air Resources Board in order to minimize impacts on air quality on surrounding communities. The burn is dependent on weather and air quality conditions that are favorable to smoke dispersion. If the conditions are not as desired, the burn will be rescheduled.
Due to changing winds and weather conditions, it is difficult to predict which areas of the county, if any, may be most affected by smoke from the burn. If you smell smoke, take precautions and use common sense to reduce any harmful health effects by limiting outdoor activities. When you can smell smoke or when it is visible in your area, avoid strenuous outdoor activity and remain indoors as much as possible. These precautions are especially important to children, older adults and those with heart and lung conditions. If you are sensitive to smoke, consider temporarily relocating and closing all doors and windows on the day of the burn. Symptoms of smoke exposure can include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chest tightness or pain, nausea and unusual fatigue or lightheadedness. People are advised to use caution while driving near prescribed fire operations.
Detectives investigating robbery and kidnappingSheriff’s detectives are investigating a reported robbery and kidnapping that occurred on Tuesday in the 4900 block of Carpinteria Avenue. On Wednesday, at approximately 8:48 a.m., the victim reached out to law enforcement to report the incident that had occurred the day prior. Deputies took an initial report and have since forwarded the case to detectives for follow-up.
While the investigation remains active and ongoing, the Sheriff’s Office is informing the public of preliminary incident information. Incident information that is available for release so far is that on Tuesday, at approximately 2:30 p.m., two suspects approached the victim outside of a business in the 4900 block of Carpinteria Avenue. They engaged in a conversation before they displayed weapons and forced the victim into their vehicle. The suspects drove the victim to a bank and where they forced the victim to withdraw cash. The suspects left the victim behind at the bank and fled in their vehicle.
The description of the suspects and their vehicle is not yet available for release as detectives are working to verify information. The sheriff’s office intends on keeping the public informed of developments in this case to an extent that will not compromise the ongoing investigation.
Multiple overnight ramp closures in Ventura CountyTHOUSAND OAKS, MOORPARK, SIMI VALLEY — The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) plans overnight closures of on- and off-ramps on U.S. Highway 101, State Route 23 (SR-23) and State Route 118 (SR-118) for pavement and joint seal repairs on bridges. Signs will be posted. Motorists should expect delays and seek alternate routes.
On Aug. 29-31: the northbound U.S. 101 off-ramp at Westlake Blvd will be closed from 9 p.m.-6 a.m.; the northbound U.S. 101 off-ramp at Borchard Road/Rancho Conejo Blvd. will be closed from 7 p.m.-6 a.m.; the Los Angeles Avenue on-ramp to northbound SR-23 will be closed from 8 p.m.-6 a.m.; the southbound Tapo Canyon Road on-ramp to Eastbound SR-118, the northbound Tapo Canyon Road on-ramp to westbound SR-118, the southbound Stearns Street on-ramp to eastbound SR-118 and the northbound Stearns Street on-ramp to westbound SR-118 will be closed from 7 p.m.-6 a.m.
An extra night might be added at some locations if necessary.
Residents and businesses located near the freeway may experience noise, vibrations and dust associated with construction activities. Real-time traffic information can be found at http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/.
Some closures may start and end later. All work is subject to change due to weather or construction-related issues. The work is part of pavement and joint seal repairs on multiple bridges over the next few months on U.S. 101 and State Routes 23, 33, and 118.
Caltrans reminds drivers to Be Work Zone Alert and to Slow for the Cone Zone.
Vegetation fireOn Friday, a vegetation fire was reported threatening a building at Central Jonata Middle School in Buellton.
Forward progress was stopped at 20 by 50 feet of vegetation next to a storage facility. There was no building damage. Santa Barbara County fire remained on scene for 30 minutes. The call time was 6:57 p.m.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, reported Scott Safechuck, PIO for Santa Barbara County Fire, in a tweet on Friday.
Semi-Truck AccidentOn Saturday, a semi-truck went 100 feet over the side of Hwy. 154 in the 6200 block.
One patient was assisted to the top by firefighters and paramedics. The patient sustained minor injuries and was transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
There were no cargo or fuel leaks. There is an extended removal operation. Santa Barbara County Fire and California Highway Patrol remained on site. The call time was 3:53 pm.
The accident is under investigation, according to Scott Safechuck, PIO for Santa Barbara County Fire, in a tweet.
— Katie Zehnder
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