The work ongoing to fix a longstanding potholed and undercarriage-ruining section of Cathedral Oaks between Los Carneros and Glen Annie Road will go late today. A big-rig crash and fire on the 101 northbound this morning delayed a cement truck, and the work on March 24 will continue through to 6:30 p.m. to stay on schedule. A rainstorm is due Sunday and Monday, and the cement work must be completed before then.
Cathedral Oaks is a major road the City of Goleta has complained was left underfunded by the county when the city incorporated in a vote in 2002. The city's Public Works department had last stated it was in search of $16 million to $18 million to fund the extensive project on the heavily traveled artery.
The chunks missing from the heavily pockmarked section of road is not Cathedral Oaks Road's only problem. A crib wall farther west toward Winchester Canyon was visibly undermined during a heavy rainstorm in January 2017. A sinkhole developed that took 20 cubic yards of concrete slurry to fill, and the bike path there was closed. The city continues to find funding for a permanent fix.