Edhat Staff
Southbound US 101 at Refugio Creek Bridge
Source: Caltrans
Caltrans will improve and extend the service life of two bridges on U.S. Highway 101 at the Refugio Road Undercrossing in Santa Barbara County due to funding by Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017. “This SB 1 project allows crews to perform proactive maintenance work to prevent aging and deterioration of the bridges,” said Caltrans Director Laurie Berman. “The improvements will save taxpayers millions of dollars in costly repairs in the future, and provide motorists with a smooth commute for years to come.”
More than 33,000 vehicles per day cross the bridges to reach their destination.
“This is an important highway because it bridges northern and southern California,” said Caltrans District 5 Acting Director Richard Rosales. “Many motorists use the route to travel to popular state parks, beaches and the cities of Santa Barbara and Goleta.”
The $1.4 million project has been awarded to Truesdale Corporation. Crews will apply a seal coating to the concrete bridge decks to extend the life of the pavement quality.
Roadwork is scheduled to begin the week of March 26 so motorists will encounter alternating lane closures on northbound US-101, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., and on southbound US-101 from 9:00 a.m. until 6 p.m. Overnight lane closures are possible Sunday night through Friday morning from 7:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. In addition, the southbound US 101 off-ramp at Refugio Road will be closed intermittently Monday through Thursday from 9 am until 4 pm. Motorists may detour to El Capitan State Beach via detour signs leading to a return to Refugio State Beach. Motorists are encouraged to plan ahead, use alternate routes, and Be Work Zone Alert.
Work schedule is subject to change due to traffic incidents, weather, availability of equipment and/or materials, and/or construction-related issues. More information and updates on projects can be found at http://www.dot.ca.gov/d5/ or on Twitter via @CaltransD5.
SB 1 provides an ongoing funding increase of about $1.8 billion annually for the maintenance and rehabilitation of the state highway system. SB 1 funds will enable Caltrans to fix more than 17,000 lane miles of pavement, 500 bridges and 55,000 culverts by 2027.
Caltrans is committed to conducting its business in a fully transparent manner and detailing its progress to the public. For complete details on SB 1, visit http://www.rebuildingca.ca.
