Foothill Road Closes for Construction

Construction to improve a short portion of Foothill Road will close the road entirely between Cheltenham and Tye roads above the Mission beginning April 21, with the closure expected to last through July 3. Traffic is being diverted along Alamar, State, Constance, Garden, and Los Olivos. Following citizen complaints of the dangers of walking and bicycling on Foothill Road, and acting on concerns that motorists cannot pull over when emergency vehicles come through, Caltrans is paving over the open ditches along the 2700 and 2800 blocks and placing storm drains beneath them. While some residents worry that the broader shoulders will only encourage the already speedy traffic to go even faster, others point out that the rest of State Route 192 up through Montecito remains narrow and dangerous to cyclists.