Olive Mill Bridge Work Begins

Earlier this week, travelers driving along southbound Highway 101 at night and in the early-morning hours were detoured off the freeway along Coast Village Road, as Caltrans began a four-month project to replace the bridge rails on the 101 overcrossing at Olive Mill Road. Full overnight closures are expected through the end of the week, with daytime detours beginning next Wednesday, September 5. “We want the community to be prepared for it, and we are doing the work in the least-impactful way as possible,” said Jason Kline, Caltrans Construction engineer who is overseeing the project. 

As we’ve reported multiple times throughout the summer, the project is to replace the bridge rails that were damaged during the debris flow on January 9, and includes installing wooden support beams underneath the existing bridge and widening the west sidewalk. “We can’t replace the former metal guardrail, because it was not up to our current standards,” Kline explained. Instead, the new guardrail is a heavy concrete rail textured to look like wooden railroad ties. “It’s an architectural feature in this area, and they weigh a lot more than the metal ones,” he said. The sidewalk on the east side of the bridge will be removed to allow the widening of the west sidewalk. 

Local motorists will encounter one-way reversing traffic control on the Olive Mill Road overcrossing on Tuesday, September 4, beginning at 9 pm for re-striping and the installation of temporary barriers. One-way traffic on Olive Mill Road in a northerly direction toward Coast Village Road on the mountain side of 101 will begin the morning of Wednesday, September 5, for a four-month period. Crews will be on site for 10-hour shifts Monday through Friday and eight-hour shifts on Saturdays. There will be detours to accommodate one lane of travel over the bridge; drivers traveling to Butterfly Beach from Coast Village Road will be directed to enter the southbound freeway, exit at San Ysidro, and will be detoured onto South Jameson and Danielson to Olive Mill. Virginia Road will be closed at Olive Mill. Northbound truck traffic on Highway 101 is encouraged to use the Milpas Street exit before returning southbound and exiting at Olive Mill Road/Spring Road.

Kline explained that Caltrans reps went door-to-door in the Danielson and Virginia Road neighborhoods, letting residents know about the project and detour that will have a direct effect on them. Residents who live along Danielson Lane will maintain parking in their neighborhood, but parking will be prohibited near the narrow corners to allow residents and large construction vehicles to safely navigate this area. Motorists and cyclists are encouraged to share the road. 

“We listened to the community feedback, and we will accelerate this project as much as we can,” Kline said. California Highway Patrol will have speed enforcement in place, as well as a speed radar trailer located on Danielson. Caltrans has also asked Montecito Union School parents to try to avoid using the intersection of North Jameson and San Ysidro Road, as that juncture is expected to be impacted with congestion due to the detours. 

The contractor for this $1.2-million project is Granite Construction. The undertaking is expected to be completed by the end of this year, weather permitting. 

Governance Forum

The Montecito Association will host an informational forum on potential governance options for Montecito. The forum will take place on Monday, September 10, at Montecito Union School. 

Local and statewide experts will provide information and answer questions regarding the issues related to alternative governance; the community is invited to attend and learn more about alternative governance issues.

The Montecito Association takes no position and seeks solely to better inform the community on the issue of governance options, according to board president Charlene Nagel. 

The forum is from 6 to 8 pm. For more information, visit www.montecitoassociation.org 

Sheriff’s Blotter

Monday, August 27, 5:20 am  – Sheriff’s deputies responded to a burglar alarm at a residence in the 800 block of Lilac Drive in Montecito. When deputies arrived, they observed a white van parked down the street blocking half the roadway. The deputies also observed a male adult walking on the street coming from the area of the alarm. Once additional deputies arrived, the suspect, who was identified as 30-year-old Jason Buchanan of North Hollywood, was detained along with the two occupants of the van who were identified as 32-year-old Danay Granville and 25-year-old Tyrone O’Neal, also from the Los Angeles area.

A records check revealed that Buchanan was on active parole for 459 PC – Burglary, Granville was on Post Release Community Supervision for 215 PC – Carjacking, and O’Neal was on probation for 25400 PC – Concealed Firearm. O’Neal also had several active warrants out of Tennessee that were non-extraditable. Deputies searched the van and located numerous stolen credit cards and property purchased with stolen credit cards throughout Southern California. 

The homeowner on Lilac Drive did not report any items stolen. The Sheriff’s Office has contacted one victim who had his credit card stolen out of his car in Ventura and another victim whose stolen phone was recovered. 

Buchanan was booked on charges of possession of burglary tools, receiving known stolen property and fraudulent use of a stolen access card. Granville was booked on charges of loitering on private property, obstruction of a public officer, fraudulent use of an access card, and receiving known stolen property. O’Neal was booked on charges of receiving known property. Bail was set at $20,000 each. The Sheriff’s Office is also recommending the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office files conspiracy charges.