Highway 101’s median between Carpinteria and North Padaro Lane traces a languid blue line and oak leaf shapes, recalling the original plaques and oaks that honored the veterans of World War I, set there in 1928 by Boy Scouts and American Legion Post No. 49. The plaques and trees disappeared over time, but the remembrance was newly seen after the new northbound carpool lane opened in mid-December between Carpinteria’s Santa Monica Road and Montecito’s Sheffield Drive. The equivalent southbound lane could open as soon as the end of this week.
To replace the plaques and trees, 108 new oaks, grown from the original trees’ acorns, will be planted along the highway shoulder and at Loon Point, the project announced at SBRoads.org. Memorial highway signs are also going up to mark the history of the area.
This 16-mile-long, five-part project to add carpool lanes from the Ventura County line to Milpas Street in Santa Barbara is in its final phases, although it’s at least three years from completion and not yet completely funded.
