TRAFFIC, CRIME AND FIRE BLOTTER

pending notification to the next of kin.

Katherine Zehnder

—

Tar on Fairview Overpass

GOLETA — Roofing tar from an unknown source ended up covering the Fairview Avenue northbound overpass above Highway 101.

The hazardous conditions led to the closures of lanes.

Santa Barbara County Fire medical engine 12 responded. Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office and Caltrans were on the scene for cleanup for an additional hour.

The call time was 9:14 a.m.., Capt. Scott Safechuck, public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, reported in a tweet.

— Katherine Zehnder

Caltrans provides update

MONTECITO/SUMMERLAND/ CARPINTERIA — Construction is beginning for the San Ysidro Roundabout in Montecito.

A pre-construction community overview meeting will take place at 5 p.m. March 9 at Montecito Union School, 385 San Ysidro Road, Montecito.

According to Caltrans, motorists can expect work in the northwest corner of the intersection of North Jameson Lane and San Ysidro Road as well as at the northbound on-ramp at San Ysidro Road and the overcrossing sidewalk by the ramp. The northbound on- ramp will close on March 13 and remain closed through early 2025 for the roundabout and freeway construction.

Crews will remove old pavement, clear and grub vegetation, and begin grading for a new retaining wall, Caltrans said.

The southbound on-ramp at Olive Mill Road will reopen by March 8, and the southbound offramp at North Padaro Lane will reopen by March 10. Below is the schedule for closures, which is subject to change according to the weather.

NORTHBOUND HIGHWAY 101

• Sunday nights from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. will be one lane from Santa Monica Road to Sheffield Drive with off- and on-ramps closed at South Padaro/Santa Claus Lane.

• Monday to Thursday nights from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. will be one lane from Santa Monica Road to Sheffield Drive with off- and onramps closed at South Padaro/ Santa Claus Lane.

• The off-ramp at Olive Mill will be closed for up to seven months and is anticipated to reopen upon roundabout completion. In the meantime, drvers can use the northbound off-ramp at San Ysidro Road.

• The on-ramp at San Ysidro will be closed beginning March 13 until early 2025 (for the roundabout and highway work).

SOUTHBOUND HIGHWAY 101

• Sundays from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. will be one lane from Sheffield Drive to Carpinteria Avenue.

• Monday to Thursday nights from 9 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. will be one lane from Sheffield Drive to Carpinteria Avenue, with the on-ramp closed at South Padaro/ Santa Claus Lane.

• March 13 to 16 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with the off-ramp closed at South Padaro/Santa Claus Lane.

• The on-ramp at Olive Mill will reopen by March 8. Until then, drivers can use the southbound on-ramp at Sheffield Drive until the ramp opens.

• The off-ramp at North Padaro Lane will reopen by March 10. In the meantime, drivers can use the detour at South Padaro Lane and Via Real until the ramp opens.

CARPINTERIA AVENUE FROM ESTERO STREET TO HIGHWAY

101

Flaggers will direct traffic (as needed) as crews build a new median island and bikeway connections.

OLIVE MILL ROUNDABOUT

The majority of construction occurs between 7 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. daily. Project information, including maps and a timeline, is available at www.SBROADS.com.

Crews will continue work on drainage improvements, roadway base, and paving. Work will continue on a new architectural wall. Flaggers will direct traffic as needed.

Caltrans says drivers can expect night work from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. March 12-14, and that will include some night-time noise. Flaggers will direct traffic as needed.

— Katherine Zehnder

Projects planned in Lompoc, Guadalupe, New Cuyama, Santa Maria

DIRECTOR

Continued from Page A1 at other modes and ways to accommodate cyclists, pedestrians, and transit users, and we consider rail and transit options while making sure all users and modes are considered. We also make sure that aviation is functioning well.”

Mr. Eades spoke to his goals in this position.

“Our top priorities are safety for not only the traveling public but also the safety of workers on the front lines maintaining and improving the system, including maintenance and construction workers.

“Distracted driving is a big problem. We have seen speed increase in recent years, perhaps because of extra capacity on the highways due to COVID,” Mr. Eades said. “In the work zones, we need to make sure workers are protected and make it home to their families every night. We are monitoring systems to see if there are crash hot spots, where there is a higher crash history, and we look at ways to improve those.

“We are always monitoring and making sure those areas with above-average crashes and how to mitigate that. We are looking at how to accommodate all users, those that want to walk, bike, take transit, or rail, and make sure those get due consideration. Equity is a new focus as well when we think about the historical context of the highways. Highways can divide communities, and we are looking at ways to reconnect them, especially in underserved communities or smaller and disadvantaged communities.”

Previously, Mr. Eades served as the Santa Barbara 101 corridor manager where he worked with internal and external teams to deliver a large ($700 million-plus) multimodal capital improvement program.

In this role, Mr. Eades led teams through California Environmental Quality Act challenges, Local Coastal Plan Amendment approvals, coastal permitting, Federal Highway Administration Major Project processes, and the first Construction Manager/ General Contractor delivery in District 5.

The News-Press asked Mr. Eades about the South Coast work on Highway 101.

“It is a substantial program of projects,” he said. “The goal is to provide full connectivity with HOV (high-occupancy vehicle) lanes in both directions and to have three continuous lanes in each direction from Goleta down to Ventura city. We just need to secure the final funding. The way that big project gets done is by commingling funding sources and competing for competitive funding sources.

“The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments has done a terrific job on that. It is critical to have matching funding sources and to have projects shovel-ready. It’s a pretty appealing project from a competitive funding standpoint.”

In earlier roles, Mr. Eades worked as a Caltrans project manager in District 5, a transportation engineer in District 5 Traffic operations, a transportation planner for the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments and a student assistant in District 5 transportation planning.

Mr. Eades also spoke to netting catching debris by the Gaviota Tunnel on Highway 101. “That is an emergency project which occurred through the January storms. We are in the process of pulling that debris out and putting up rock netting to stabilize that.”

The News-Press asked Mr. Eades about the work on State Route 154 in the Santa Ynez Valley.

“We are constantly evaluating the need for safety improvements based on crash history. Currently, there are no substantial lane widening projects changing the look of what is out there. We have been in emergency response mode.”

Mr. Eades spoke about debris removal from State Route 154 during the storm. Efforts include debris flow, clogged culverts, and removal of debris material that ended up in lanes.

Mr. Eades also indicated there will be upcoming projects in Lompoc and Guadalupe as well as beautification projects under the Clean California Program including projects in New Cuyama and Santa Maria.

Mr. Eades holds a bachelor’s of science in city and regional planning and a master’s of science in civil and environmental engineering, both from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. He is also a certified project management professional and recently completed Caltrans Leadership Training Program II.

“A good portion of my experience was working on projects in Santa Barbara County,” Mr. Eades told the News-Press. “I was the project manager for some time on several projects and did a lot of early work on what is now the SB 101 South Coast Corridor Project. I have enjoyed working with local partners such as public works and SBCAG.

“It has been a great career working with so many terrific professionals. I’m honored to have this position.” email: kzehnder@newspress.com

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