Completed: Highway 154 Makeover

Commuters, recreational motorists, and truck drivers should notice improved traffic flow along Highway 154 from Santa Barbara north to the Route 246 intersection as a result of a recently completed $5 million construction project. The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SGCAG) held a ceremony at Vista Point near the Cold Spring Canyon Bridge on Wednesday, June 17, marking the completion of a second set of operational and safety improvements to Route 154. “After the first set of improvements, we saw significant reductions in fatalities and head-on collisions, despite increasing traffic volumes,” Jim Kemp, executive director of the SBCAG, said in a press release.

SBCAG fully funded the second phase with revenues from Measure D, the half-cent transportation sales tax that Santa Barbara County voters passed in 1989. Among the alterations to Route 154 are a new passing lane at the intersection of Route 246, new or lengthened turn lanes at the intersections of Route 246, Paradise Road, and Vista Point, as well as improved guardrail, cable railing, and drainage facilities. Speakers at the Completion Project Ceremony included Jim Kemp, Supervisor Doreen Farr, and Wildland Residents Association President Mike Williams.