The perennial wet spot at the bottom of Castillo Street is “drastically” drier now that Caltrans has completed installing its latest set of plumbing lines to draw the groundwater away from the road surface and into the drains. The challenge for years has been that the groundwater level is higher than the surface of the road. A solution installed under the adjacent railroad bridge in late 2024 decreased the water intrusion through the winter, so the same method was installed over the past two months under the bridge over the 101.
On the surface along the sidewalk is a series of drain inlets, beneath which is another system of copper pipes crossing under Castillo. Ten-inch bores at the inlets allow groundwater to reach the drains about a foot lower in elevation than before, explained Caltrans spokesperson Ashton Harris, keeping it away from the road.
“Installing a new drainage system, through the structural section of the pile slab, means delicately chipping through high-strength concrete without damaging the structural steel and the connection the concrete pilings below,” Harris said.
The incremental work in the heavily trafficked area isn’t over yet. The high mineral content of Santa Barbara water causes clogs over time in the drainage, so the system needs periodic maintenance. And the southbound off-ramp’s issues remain, said Harris, repairs for which Caltrans is now looking to fund. This most recent project was finalized at a cost of a half-million dollars.
