New Cabrillo Blvd. and Los Patos Way Roundabout Project Opens Up
John Palminteri
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – A new roundabout has opened in Santa Barbara where an often congested route on the eastern side of the city near the beach often has snarled traffic.
It was celebrated with a special ribbon cutting ceremony at the intersection of Cabrillo Boulevard and Los Patos Way, near the Santa Barbara Cemetery.
Phase 1 of the roundabout construction began in February 2024. It was an estimate $12-million dollar project in design and construction.
With this roundabout there are now four between Los Patos Way and San Ysidro Road in a corridor that connects Montecito and Santa Barbara.
The event took place as Mayor Randy Rowse took note of the surroundings. He said, “we’re watching it work, watching people running, bikes are going by here. Pedestrians go through here. Really it is more functional than ever.”
The city says the project:
Creates a safe corridor along East Cabrillo Boulevard for pedestrian and bicyclists.
Improves access and connectivity to and from the Beachway, Andree Clark Bird Refuge, Chase Palm Park, Santa Barbara Zoo, beaches, and the Waterfront and Harbor, and to commercial areas along Los Patos Way and Coast Village Road.
Reduces traffic congestion and improves mobility by constructing a roundabout at the intersection of East Cabrillo Boulevard and Los Patos Way.
The next phase will be the replacement of the existing Union Pacific Railroad Bridge over Cabrillo Boulevard, along with pedestrian and bicycle improvements. This is part of what will eventually be the larger freeway widening project through Santa Barbara that is projected to be finished in the next few years.
It was a cooperative project with funds and planning from various city, county and state governments and agencies including the city of Santa Barbara, CalTrans and the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG). Representatives were also present from the offices of Congressman Salud Carbajal, State Senator Monique Limon and Assemblyman Gregg Hart.
This needed to get done now because as construction moves forward, Margie Kirn the SBCAG Executive Director said, “this is going to be a little precarious going through once we start construction on the freeway. Having this roundabout. is going to make it so much more easier for people to get through. “
“There was a time when Santa Barbara didn’t have many roundabouts, and certainly not on a major corridor. But now, in this area between the bird refuge and Montecito, there are four of them.
Randy Rowse said, “we were planning this in the beginning and a had lot of pushback. And now people that were kind of irritated about them are really liking them because they do make traffic flow. “
The other roundabouts are on the other side of Coast Village Road at Olive Mill Road and Highway 101 where it hooks up to North Jameson Lane.
Further to the east at San Ysidro and Highway 101 is another one which has a uniquely designed roundabout with more of an oval shape.
At Hot Springs Road that roundabout also connects Old Coast Highway and Coast Village Road.
The Mayor gave his driving recommendations saying, “yield to the left and you get in and when you get ready to exit, you signal where you’re going to exit. That’s the way the rest of the world does it.”
As for benefits Coast Village Road is seeing them already. Trey Pinner is the President of the Coast Village Improvement District. He said, “Coast Village Road is just doing so well. We’re growing. This is going to bring people up into the area of down from the beach. It is easy to get through. “
There will still be busy days and congestion because the road is one lane in each direction and has three stop signs. But on either end he says, “I love roundabouts. I’ve been a fan of roundabouts, and I know at first it was hard. As we start to see it throughout our community. I think people really appreciate the ability to move as many cars as we do through a congested area.”
Coast Village Road is also going to have a beautification project soon in the center median.
For more information go to: Cabrillo roundabout
.