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Santa Barbara First District Supervisor Das Williams — Highway 101 Construction Update, New Mask Guidance, & Input Needed for CAP

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Highway 101: Carpinteria to Santa Barbara Project Construction Update
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In the latest Highway 101: Carpinteria to Santa Barbara project construction update there is new information regarding San Ysidro Road and the freeway ramps, traffic lane switches by Sheffield Drive, and temporary closure of southbound on-ramp at Santa Claus Lane:

  • When the southbound off-ramp at Sheffield Drive reopens on January 18th, flagging to direct traffic at the intersections of San Ysidro Road and the freeway will cease during the morning peak periods. The flaggers have been on-site to help direct the extra traffic associated with the Sheffield off-ramp detour as it routes people to exit southbound at San Ysidro Road. With the detour complete, we won’t have the added traffic routed to the southbound off-ramp at San Ysidro Road.
  • Traffic lanes will switch between Romero Creek and Sheffield Drive to let people use the new pavement and provide space for the next stage of construction.
  • The southbound on-ramp at Santa Claus Lane began a 10-day closure on Jan. 10th to begin work on the improvements in that area.

Community Input Needed for Climate Action Plan by February 1st
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The County of Santa Barbara is developing the 2030 Climate Action Plan to reduce communitywide emissions by 50%. Measures and actions fall under these general topic areas:

  • Housing, Transportation, and Mobility
  • Resilient Clean Energy
  • Sustainable and Circular Economies
  • Land Stewardship and Carbon Sequestration

We need your input to help ensure this plan reflects the community’s needs and values. To help shape the draft plan, please provide your input by February 1, 2022. Learn how to participate.

COVID-19 Update
At this week’s Board of Supervisors hearing, we received a COVID-19 update.
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We’ve reached new records in Santa Barbara County for positivity rate, case rate, and active cases reported. Sequence reporting done by the CA Department of Public Health shows that 79% of cases were the Omicron variant, and our current level is likely higher. Due to the extreme transmissibility of the variant, the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department has recommended individuals upgrade their mask for better protection.
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The Public Health Department has also expanded hours for COVID-19 PCR testing at the Santa Barbara Testing Trailer and the State approved our request for an additional testing site in Goleta/SB. This site will be open 6 days a week, 12 hours per day. We will share details on how to make an appointment when the testing site is up and running.

Additionally, as of January 15, health insurers will be required to cover the cost of at-home testing kits (up to 8 per month). Click here for more details.
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