101 Improvements in Santa Barbara Moving Ahead – Other Projects May Stall Due To State Budget Cuts

Good News for Santa Barbara County Commuters - 101 Construction Project To Get Underway; But Not So Good News Elsewhere - Other Projects Remain in Limbo

On November 8, 2007, the California Transportation Commission (CTC) approved the allocation of $53 million for operational improvements to Route 101 from Cabrillo/Hot Springs Road to the Milpas Bridge, including the addition of auxiliary lanes, the closing of median ramps, and the construction of a roundabout. This project is designed to reduce congestion in downtown Santa Barbara and improve local traffic circulation. The allocation of funds was supported by the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments, the Auto Club, and numerous elected officials.

Now that the funding is in place, the process for the Route 101 improvements will move forward, with construction work scheduled to begin in the summer of 2008.

However, the Santa Barbara project was one of only a handful of projects approved to move forward by the CTC. A major topic of discussion by the CTC was the status of state transportation funding and the ability of the CTC to continue to approve funding for new projects. The problem stems from the actions by the Governor and the Legislature to divert $1.3 billion in transportation funding for other uses as part of the 2007-08 state budget. These actions resulted in a reduction in the funds available for needed road and transit projects this year. It is estimated that out of $846 million needed for projects to move forward this year, there will be a shortfall of $113 million. The CTC will continue to grapple with this issue.  Until a solution is found, a growing number of projects statewide are being placed in limbo and cannot move forward to construction. The Auto Club will continue to be involved in this process, which could become more challenging if additional cuts in transportation funding are proposed for next year's state budget.