Highway 101 Widening Project Enters Its Final Stage in April

Starting April 6, drivers will see the Highway 101 widening project enter its final phase of construction, which is planned to be completed in 2028. The section of highway from the top of Montecito through Santa Barbara will see a dramatic lane change in May, and a closure of Cabrillo and Los Patos Way off/on ramps, as a new bridge and ramps are built. Two lanes in each direction will remain open during the day to keep traffic moving.  

“This is a huge moment for our community,” said City of Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse in a statement. “Starting construction on the final segment of Highway 101 in Santa Barbara means we are delivering on the promise we made to voters — investing local dollars locally to improve safety and reduce congestion.”

The project focuses on highway improvements on an 11-mile stretch of the 101 from Carpinteria to Santa Barbara, with seven miles of road being completed thus far. New continuous carpool lanes have been and continue to be added, along with safety improvements such as updated storm drains, lighting, and overhead signs. The highway is being paved in Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement that produces less road noise and will last longer than the previous surface. 

There are many highway-adjacent projects being completed throughout the area, including a new Cabrillo Boulevard Interchange and tear-drop traffic pattern, doing away with the left-hand off-ramps and replacing them with new ramps on the right-hand side of the road. There are many organizations working together to bring these improvements to fruition, ranging from city to state level. 

“I appreciate the patience of residents, businesses, and commuters during construction. When complete, people will get to work more reliably, and local businesses can operate with greater certainty. This is about building a Highway 101 our community can depend on every day for decades to come,” said 1st District County Supervisor Roy Lee in a statement. The $700 million project is funded by multiple sources. California Senate Bill 1, which the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) secured funding from back in July, is providing the majority of the funding, coming in at $295 million. The state gas tax is the second largest funding source at $265 million and another $12 million from federal sources. Another $128 million was provided from Measure A, a half-cent sales tax that goes toward transportation investments in the county that was approved by voters in 2008. 

Here’s what drivers can see on the roads: 

Santa Barbara 

The section of highway that runs parallel to Coast Village Road is currently under construction and set to be completed by the end of 2026. 

April 6 will be the start of the final stage of the project, a two-mile stretch of road from just before the Cabrillo Boulevard exits to Sycamore Creek. Drivers will notice a major traffic pattern change in this section as well as the permanent closure of Los Patos exit and temporary closure of Cabrillo exits. 

Los Patos Way exit will permanently close in the first week of construction, starting April 6. The brand-new Olive Mill Road southbound on-ramp will be opened before Cabrillo Boulevard ramps close a few weeks after the closure of Los Patos Way. 

In this section — set to be completed in 2028 — the Cabrillo Boulevard Interchange will be completely reconstructed. A new bridge will be built over what is now landscaping and the left-hand Cabrillo off-ramps, bringing the north and southbound lanes of traffic together, complete with off- and on-ramps in both directions and a tear-drop traffic pattern to increase the flow of vehicles.

The City of Santa Barbara is also making road improvements to the Milpas Street corridor, which is currently under construction. 

The city is also in charge of construction on the Cabrillo Union Pacific Rail Road undercrossing — where a box truck got stuck back in June —  and it is currently in the design phase, and has not yet started construction. The nearby Los Patos Way and Cabrillo Boulevard roundabout has been completed, another City of Santa Barbara project, in advance of the major construction yet to come. 

Montecito

This section of road is still under construction and set to be complete by the end of 2026.

San Ysidro roundabout (a county, SBCAG, and Caltrans project), and Olive Mill roundabout (a County, City, SBCAG, and Caltrans project) have recently finished construction. 

Summerland

The construction around the Summerland section of highway has been finished and landscaping planted, and is currently in the plant-establishment phase. 

A parallel project by County Public Works is still underway along Wallace Avenue. 

Carpinteria

The project originally broke ground in Carpinteria back in 2020, this is the only section of highway that is completely finished, landscaping and all. 

There are two concurrent projects in Carp; a County Public Works and Parks Department landscaping project on Santa Claus Lane (currently in phase two) and County Public Works improvements on Via Real.

Roadwork has been completed on the section of highway that runs parallel to Padaro Lane, and is currently in the final stage of plant establishment.