Changes potentially coming to deadly intersection on Highway 1 near Vandenberg Village
VANDENBERG VILLAGE, Calif. - Potential safety improvements are in the works for a deadly intersection on Highway 1 near Vandenberg Village.
Caltrans, along with several other local government agencies, are looking at restricting left turns at the intersection of Highway 1 at Santa Lucia Canyon Road.
We understand that the community has concerns about traffic safety and the Highway 1 cooridor between Vandenberg Village and the (Vandenberg Space Force) Base," said Jim Shivers, Caltrans Public-Legislative Affairs Manager. "(There) is a proposal to restrict left turn movements from Santa Lucia Canyon Road onto Highway 1. This is something that we would put on the table. It it's not set in stone."
The intersection, located near the Lompoc Federal Correctional Institution Lompoc, is just south of the main gate of Vandenberg Space Force Base, and just north of Vandenberg Village.
It has been the site of several car crashes in the past, including most recently a fatal collision that killed an 11-year-old girl in October 2024.
According to a Caltrans report, there has been 11 reported injury crashes involving left turns between 2018-22.
"It's proven to be extremely dangerous over the last several years," said Steven Heuring, who lives In Vandenberg Village and is part of the Vandenberg Village Association. "The left hand turn has to be stopped. It's just proven to be too dangerous. You can't trust the motorist trying to negotiate it safely. For the safety of everybody, we need to shut it down."
On Monday, Caltrans announced it will hold a public meeting is discuss the issue at Cabrillo High School on Wednesday, March 12 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 pm.
"It's very important that we hear from the public, the people that use the stretch of Highway 1 every day, whether it's commuters, travelers to the correctional facility or to the Space Force Basem" said Shivers. "It's very important that we hear their views about ways to enhance traffic safety in this corridor."
According to Caltrans, the meeting will include a presentation by Caltrans engineers who will provide information on proposed modifications at the site.
Should Caltrans restrict left turns onto northbound Highway 1, there are concerns how it would potentially impact traffic in Vandenberg Village.
Any traffic traveling from Santa Lucia Canyon Road needing to go north would have to head south for a couple of miles to Vandenberg Village, exit Constellation Road, and turn onto Burton Mesa Road to eventually enter the highway.
"You can just imagine the amount of traffic that's going through that intersection," said Heuring, referring to the Constellation Road underpass. "Now would be transferred to here at Vandenberg Village and it's not acceptable. I think it could even cause a backup for folks getting off the highway because the traffic lights can only handle a certain amount of traffic. If that's increased exponentially, then it's it's just not going to work."
Already, a multi-agency meeting was held to address safety concerns regarding the entire stretch of Highway 1 between Lompoc and Vandenberg SFB.
The meeting was attended by several local government officials, agencies and various local stakeholders, including Caltrans, California Highway Patrol, Vandenberg SFB, the Lompoc Correctional Complex, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG), the City of Santa Maria, the City of Lompoc, Santa Barbara County Public Works, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s office, Reach Central Coast, GO-biz, State Senator Monique Limon, Assemblymember Gregg Hart and Santa Barbara County Supervisors Bob Nelson and Joan Hartman.
Nelson, who represents District Four where the intersection is located, was in Washington D.C. on Monday and provided News Channel with a statement about the site.
"I am grateful that, after months of advocacy from our office, CalTrans is finally taking action on the Santa Lucia/Highway 1 intersection," said Nelson. "My office is committed to ensuring this solution remains temporary as we work with stakeholders—including Vandenberg Space Force Base, the City of Lompoc, CalTrans, SBCAG (Santa Barbara Association of Governments), and the County—to identify and fund a long-term fix. I’m advocating for a clear project timeline to keep stakeholders engaged, starting with a traffic corridor study to explore alternatives and secure funding."
Shivers added several safety enhancements have already taken place on Highway 1 near the intersection and several more are still to come.
"We just completed a project to install what's called a high friction surface treatment on Highway 1 near Santa Lucia Canyon Road and the Vandenberg Village area," said Shivers. "Travelers might be familiar with this type of pavement that is used near the Gaviota Tunnel and it's designed to aid travelers in wet weather conditions and has proven very successful. We're currently in the planning stages to resurface 27 lane miles of Highway 1 between Vandenberg Village and Vandenberg Space Force Base. This will include a complete resurfacing that will be part of the overall package of enhancing safety in this corridor to go along with the high friction surface treatment."
