Judging by the skid marks, the unexpected narrowing of State Route 217 — also known as the Ward Memorial Highway — could cause issues as more people begin to return to UC Santa Barbara in advance of the fall quarter, which starts on September 28. SR 217 is also one of the faster ways to reach the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport and Goleta Beach Park via Sandspit Road.
For two nights, however, motorists who customarily use the 217 will want to take Fairview instead to get to the airport, the university, or Goleta Beach Park because the 217 will be closed. For several months, and with some delays, Caltrans has been notifying that it will be working to replace the bridge over San Jose Creek as it runs through the Goleta Slough. One side of the bridge will be rebuilt at a time — first the east (or the side headed toward the mountains), then the west (or the side headed toward the beach).
The lanes going toward the beach, or west, are now narrowed to one as it goes over the bridge, and the lanes headed toward U.S. 101, or east, are to move onto that westbound side. A bicycle path will also be temporarily established on that westbound side.
To move the K-rails, repave, and restripe the new road’s pathway, SR 217 will close overnight on Monday and Tuesday. Starting at 10 p.m. and ending at 6 a.m. on both August 28 and August 29, traffic headed toward the 101 will have to get off at Sandspit Road and take a roundabout path to Fairview Avenue via James Fowler Road by the airport. The reverse is the detour to get from the 101 to the beach or the university.
To prevent access to the closed 217, the on-ramp from Hollister and both the on-ramp and off-ramp for Sandspit Road will be closed those two nights.
By Labor Day, the bridge traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction, though the exact timing for that remains unknown, according to Caltrans.
The $26 million project will reconstruct a bridge that is 60 years old to one that can withstand flood elevations and meet current standards. A completion date is set for summer 2025, though more work is expected in fall 2027.
At the 101, another bridge over San Jose Creek will also reroute traffic temporarily. On Tuesday, September 5, and Wednesday, September 6, from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., Caltrans will be realigning a temporary barrier and restriping lanes in order to cross the northbound traffic, or vehicles headed toward Gaviota, over to the southbound bridge.
The northbound side of the bridge will start to be demolished on Thursday, September 7. This bridge is even older, dating back to 1946 and widened in 1989. The $20 million project is expected to be complete by June 2026. The work on both projects is by contractor MCM Construction of North Highlands, California.
For more, Caltrans created a video to explain the roadway diversions: https://youtu.be/q68ssxPZ4G0?si=VJbs8hRo_PzsVVYS.