The new, bigger, wider Highway 101 bridges that will someday carry Casitas Pass Road and Linden Avenue in Carpinteria may never rival the San Francisco Bay Bridge for sheer visual wallop, but to many Carpinteria residents stranded by early-morning congestion, the $100 million expansions may bring some hint of relief.
The two projects are necessary for the Highway 101 widening to proceed; for many Carpinterians and commuters from Ventura County forced to brave intense northbound morning gridlock, the widening has long been regarded as a no-brainer. How soon relief will come, however, remains a matter of conjecture. Construction — which has yet to actually start — is scheduled to take four years. In the meantime, business owners in downtown Carpinteria are anxious about inevitable disruptions the complex endeavor will inflict on their customers and their bottom lines.
Yet this Monday morning it was all smiles and optimism as Caltrans statewide czar Malcolm Dougherty showed up with a silver shovel for the ceremonial groundbreaking event, attended by a flotilla of Carpinteria officials, 1st District County Supervisor Salud Carbajal, and State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson. Actual construction won’t start for some time to come. The wheels of justice, it is said, grind exceedingly slow, but nothing compared to the pace of freeway widening.