New Signal Light Installed to Manage Hwy 101 Construction Traffic

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - A new temporary signal light is now working on Coast Village Road in Santa Barbara where the northbound freeway traffic exits at Hermosillo.

This is part of the traffic management plan for the Highway 101 improvement project in the area.

Recently, the northbound exit nearby at Cabrillo Blvd. was closed, and traffic is now exiting the freeway at Hermosillo which is a shorter off ramp. Cabrillo was a main exit for those heading to the beach.

Hermosillo comes out at Coast Village Road west of Butterfly Lane and Coast Village Circle.

Additions include a new crosswalk there.

The Coast Village Association says it was not aware of the light installation recently and sought information for its members, who are property owners and businesses.

There have been many meetings and community outreach sessions prior to this phase of the project by SBRoads and the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments.

The signal was first in place and on blinking red last week before it was switched to the normal sequence. A pedestrian crosswalk button is also expected to be added. Debbie Corazza drivers through the area regularly. "In the morning during the Farmers Market time (Friday morning) it was backed up quite a bit yeah.  I would say it was backed up to the roundabout and the roundabout was slowed down as well."

There were traffic concerns and congestion issues reported last Friday afternoon and Saturday in that area. Betsy Siegel came out of a store nearby and said, "It's bad you don't know what street to go down or how to go anywhere.  it takes a really long time."

A shopper in the area who remembers the freeway flow from the 80's and beyond said, "and it is not clear this will improve this at all you would think they have better things to spend their money on." Durwood Zaekle said, "there was no freeway you drove through and there were stoplights, all the way and better a way so it's faster now but a lot of the charm is gone."

With regards to the signal light one pedestrian, Sandy Oshinsky said, "I think they do need to tweek it and take it out when all this construction is done. I watch the numbers go down. 5, 4, 3,  2, 1,  and   I raced to go through it and then I got stuck at it."

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