Potholes on Cathedral Oaks Under Repair

The work ongoing to fix a longstanding potholed and undercarriage-ruining section of Cathedral Oaks between Los Carneros and Glen Annie Road will go late today. A big-rig crash and fire on the 101 northbound this morning delayed a cement truck, and the work on March 24 will continue through to 6:30 p.m. to stay on schedule. A rainstorm is due Sunday and Monday, and the cement work must be completed before then.

Cathedral Oaks is a major road the City of Goleta has complained was left underfunded by the county when the city incorporated in a vote in 2002. The city’s Public Works department had last stated it was in search of $16 million to $18 million to fund the extensive project on the heavily traveled artery.

The chunks missing from the heavily pockmarked section of road is not Cathedral Oaks Road’s only problem. A crib wall farther west toward Winchester Canyon was visibly undermined during a heavy rainstorm in January 2017. A sinkhole developed that took 20 cubic yards of concrete slurry to fill, and the bike path there was closed. The city continues to find funding for a permanent fix.

In November 2018, an area near Los Carneros Road was sagging above an area containing utilities and a storm drainage culvert. Those repairs were the only smooth surface on the section of road east of Glen Annie. From Glen Annie west to Alameda was repaired in the most recent maintenance work on the road.

Support the Santa Barbara Independent through a long-term or a single contribution.