Caltrans presents upgrade plans for Highway 246

Every morning hundreds of commuters head out along Highway 246 between Lompoc and Buellton, commuting predominantly to Highway 101 and jobs along Santa Barbara County’s South Coast, but also to large area employers such as the Chumash Casino and Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Caltrans hosted a public workshop Wednesday evening, inviting the public to learn more about two safety improvement projects planned for that stretch of road — the Purisima Road Safety Improvement Project, and the more precisely named Highway 246 Passing Lanes Project.

More than 75 people attended the informal workshop presentation, held in Lompoc City Hall.

The dangers of the Purisima Road and Highway 246 intersection was the sole subject of the first project. With 25 collisions at the intersection between 2001 and 2006, the site is considered to be four times more prone to accidents than the state average for similar locations.

“We are obligated to do something at this location,” Project Manager Sara von Schwind said during the workshop.

The intersection qualifies for $3.5 million in safety improvement funding, and von Schwind said a project schedule would be completed within the next month or two.

Caltrans presented preliminary plans for either a traffic signal or a roundabout at the intersection.

Audience members also suggested moving the Highway 246 right-turn lane farther to the east to allow better visibility for Purisima Road motorists attempting to turn left.

The second project proposed several passing lane locations, including a two-way, 1.4 mile-section by Campbell Pond, according to Caltrans.

An eastbound lane would stretch between Cebada Canyon Road and Tularosa Road. From the Tularosa intersection, a westbound passing lane will be installed up to Hapgood Road.

Left turn lanes are planned at Big Ranch and Hapgood roads, Caltrans officials said.

The bridge over Santa Rosa Creek will also be widened and restripped to give westbound drivers a left-turn lane onto Drum Canyon Road.

The project does not extend to the west past Mission Gate Road, and leaves two 1.7-mile stretches as unimproved two-lane highway.

The construction plans fall short of what the Lompoc City Council had hoped would be a complete highway upgrade to four lanes.

“It’s good that Caltrans is taking public input, because there’s a lot of roads and driveways along there,” Lompoc City Councilman DeWayne Holmdahl said at the workshop.

The passing lane project is scheduled to return to the public in early summer 2009 for environmental review, and be finalized by December of that year. Final completion of the project is projected for spring of 2015.

The funding for the passing lanes anticipates $50 million in money and matching funds from Measure A, which is on the November ballot for renewal.

“I like some of the passing lanes, which will cut down on the crazy passers,” said resident Judy Holden, who lives off Hapgood Road and drives that section of highway daily.

She and husband, Jim Holden, agreed the Purisima Road intersection needs improvement.

“A lot of awful close calls there. You can see skid marks every day,” said John Holden, who said that his own son-in-law suffered an accident there.

Glenn Wallace can be reached at 737-1059 or gwallace@santamariatimes.com.

July 17, 2008