Caltrans working on a new fix for water-plagued Castillo Street underpass

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - A new fix is in the works for a busy underpass plagued by water-related issues.

It's been a chronic problem for decades for Caltrans and the City of Santa Barbara, putting lots of engineering designs to the test.

Drivers passing through the Castillo Street underpass splash across water-filled potholes and cracks. They're not too bad, yet.

Over time, concrete seams in the roadway break open and water flowing below seeps up to the surface. At times, the flow is on the heavier side causing more damage to the roadway, creating hazards for drivers.

Jim Shivers, Public Information Officer for Caltrans District 5, called it an ongoing battle.

"It's not that Caltrans is failing at this point. It just shows the power of Mother Nature and complexity."

Shivers said the source of the constant flow of water comes from the mountains above, which then passes beneath that undercrossing.

Shivers said an upcoming project is in the works and hoped it would begin this fall.

"We plan to install pavement and subsurface drainage on the south end of the seal slab near the railroad overhead bridge and include asphalt repairs," said Shivers. "We did the same on the north end and it is still working pretty well for the most part."

Meantime, Caltrans maintenance crews are out regularly to fill the potholes and sweep out the drains.