Overjoyed About the New Undercrossing

Overjoyed About the New Undercrossing

The Unofficial Gateway to Santa Barbara Is
Now Safer, Brighter, and Far More Beautiful

By Tyler Hayden | Photos by Macduff Everton
April 24, 2025

Read more of our 2025 Earth Day cover story here. 

Back in ancient times — in 1991, to be exact— a traffic light stood at the intersection of State Street and Highway 101. It was the only thing between motorists and 435 miles of wide-open road from Los Angeles to San Francisco. It also divided Santa Barbara in two. Drivers trying to cross between downtown and the beach waited 10 long minutes for the light to turn green. They would sip coffee, read the sports pages, or get out and stretch. The mayor used the daily interlude to sort her mail.

But that year — after nearly four decades of planning, bickering, dawdling, and building — Santa Barbara’s new road and freeway system was completed and the light came down. The centerpiece of the new design was a Spanish Renaissance undercrossing at State Street to serve as the unofficial gateway to the city. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held where the mayor spoke, but few could hear her above the whizz of cars flying up and down the coast.

Since then, the undercrossing has done its job, linking the hustle and bustle of downtown Santa Barbara with the breeze of its waterfront. But anyone who’s traveled the 1,000 feet of subterranean roadway — particularly by foot or bike — knows it wasn’t the most pleasant experience. The sidewalk was uncomfortably narrow, the four lanes invited speeding, and cyclists risked life and limb every time they made the journey. In fact, the undercrossing was the site of more serious injuries to pedestrians and cyclists than anywhere else in the city.

This week, another ribbon-cutting took place, this time to celebrate a structural and aesthetic rebirth of the gateway. The sidewalks are now nearly twice as wide, the four car lanes have been reduced to two, and the bike lanes increased in width from five to seven feet with a three-foot protective buffer to boot. 

Beyond the substantial safety improvements and incredibly complicated reengineering, the undercrossing is now a place of art sprung from the mind of Santa Barbara architect Jeff Shelton in his first public works project.

The first thing you notice as you head under the highway are the deep purple guardrails Shelton designed and his brother, David, fabricated. Sprinkled with cutouts shaped like toyon-flowers — a favorite of Shelton’s — they descend and drape in such a way that that solid iron feels soft and inviting. As you head farther in, you see the lines of columns, once beige and grimy, now wrapped in kaleidoscopes of bright tilework. Each one is unique and each could stand alone as studies in color and pattern, yet they seamlessly coalesce into a vivid visual tapestry that turns the public right-of-way into a legitimate sensory experience.

“What we needed was rhythm,” Shelton explained from his studio on Fig Street, just a stone’s throw from the undercrossing. “Not just 1, 2, 1, 2. We needed chords and changes in rhythm to entice you, excite you, to lead you on. And we needed light.” Inspiration for the flowering lamps that act as beacons along the stretch came from Matilija poppies, Shelton said, with the iron balls on flanking posts mimicking the bulbs that remain when the blooms fall. 

Shelton was selected as architectural consultant on the project after he and Bengal Engineering — a hometown crew of civic engineers who’ve led work on some of Santa Barbara’s biggest construction efforts, such as the Cabrillo Boulevard Bridge — came out on top during the city’s open-bid process. While Bengal and city planners encouraged Shelton to let his creative juices flow, they all had to work within the confines of what Caltrans, which owns the bridge above the undercrossing, would allow. That meant no modifications to its walls or ceiling.

Nevertheless, the end result turned out better than anyone could have imagined, with more flair and character than what strict El Pueblo Viejo guidelines usually allow. “We were all a little out of our comfort zone,” Shelton said. “In a good way.” It took only a few back-and-forths with design boards to secure approval, and city staff were willing and eager partners in seeing the thing through.

“It was one of the smoother processes I’ve been a part of,” said supervising city engineer Eric Goodall. “Even with the whimsy of the design.” From a public works standpoint, the city accomplished its goal of addressing the safety issues, Goodall said. “We really built what we wanted to build,” he said. “It doesn’t feel like a raceway anymore. And now it’s a corridor that people want to travel through, rather than have to.”

The $11 million project was also designed, Goodall noted, to showcase future art installations with electrical conduits installed under the sidewalks and two anchor points to accommodate sculptures. Meanwhile, the tiled columns are protected with an anti-graffiti coating that allows the paint to be wiped right off, and welders recently added reinforcements to the ironwork after it was attacked by someone with a shopping cart.

Back in his office, Shelton squirmed at the thought of receiving too much credit for what was a herculean effort among many different parties. “You’re talking to me because it’s the fun part,” he said. “But a lot of really talented people worked on this.” He named, among others, his team of Mattie Shelton, James Carson, and Ester Nova, as well as Upton Construction, California Pottery & Tile, Isaac Ornamental Metals, Filippin Civil Engineering, and lighting designer Ann Kale, who recently passed away.

It was the job of Harrison Smith with Bengal Engineering to take Shelton’s drawings and digitize them into usable plans. “Seeing Jeff’s sketches, I was a little nervous at first,” said Smith, who had to contend with the site’s complex geometry, including its non-parabolic curve and rare seal slab construction. “We were essentially designing a ship in a bottle,” he said. But Smith and Shelton quickly got on the same page and it was smooth sailing from there. “Everything fit perfectly,” he said.

Born and raised in Santa Barbara, Harrison especially appreciated that so many members of the team were locals. “Everyone had a little more skin in the game,” he said. “I love this town so much, and being able to contribute something to the place I live and love is such a blessing.”