Edison Settlement Funds Repairs

As briefly mentioned in last week’s edition, construction began this week on additional repairs to roads and bridges affected by the Thomas Fire and the 1/9 debris flow. The projects, which the County announced last week, include the repair of 28 lane miles of road and the construction of a temporary bridge at the Cold Springs Trailhead. Nearly $6 million in Southern California Edison Settlement Funds will pay for the road repair ($5.7 million) and bridge replacement ($230,000).

Construction began on Monday to re-connect East Mountain Drive at the Cold Spring Trailhead. The low water crossing that was destroyed during the 1/9 debris flow will be replaced with a temporary bridge. This bridge will remain in place for approximately three years until a permanent bridge can be built. CalPortland Construction is the contractor for this project and construction is expected to finish by mid-July.

Granite Construction will begin the road repair project on June 15, 2020. Paving for this project is scheduled to finish by late-August. Santa Barbara County Public Works prioritized the road sections in this project based on the amount of use and damage due to the fire and debris flow. Additional road sections will be repaired in future projects over the next year. Portions of Montecito streets included on the project include East Mountain Drive, Brooktree Road, Irvine Lane, Riven Rock Road, Ashley Road, San Ysidro Road, Hot Springs Road, Bella Vista Drive, Romero Canyon Road, Lilac Drive, Alisos Drive, Veloz Drive, Piedras Drive, Oak Grove Drive, and Park Lane.

The Santa Barbara County Public Works Department thanks residents and the traveling public for their patience and cooperation during the construction of this project. For an updated list of road closures, please visit www.countyofsb.org/pwd/road.sbc.