
Highway 101 Southbound Divided Lanes Start July 12 in Montecito
Improved Northbound Lanes, New Auxiliary Lane, Northbound On-ramp at San Ysidro Road, and Off-ramp at Hermosillo Road Are Open
Sharing on behalf of Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG)- Construction on the Highway 101: Montecito and Santa Barbara South segments shifts to the southbound side. On Saturday night, July 12, the southbound freeway traffic will move to the median and be divided by safety barriers from Olive Mill Road to Posilipo Lane. The southbound on-ramp at Olive Mill Road and the southbound off-ramp at San Ysidro Road will close for construction that same night.
This follows the June 28 opening of reconstructed northbound lanes between Sheffield Drive and Hermosillo Road, a new northbound auxiliary lane between San Ysidro and Olive Mill Roads, an upgraded northbound on-ramp at San Ysidro Road, and an updated off-ramp at Hermosillo Road.
The southbound divided lanes enable crews to build new freeway lanes while keeping two lanes open for the traveling public during the day and protecting the bridge overcrossings at San Ysidro and Olive Mill Roads. A graphic below shows how the southbound lanes will be divided by a combination of concrete and flexible safety barriers for approximately one mile. Lanes will continue to have the standard 12-foot width.
The southbound on-ramp at Olive Mill Road will be closed for nine months for construction, and drivers can use a detour along North Jameson Lane to access the southbound on-ramp at Sheffield Drive. The southbound off-ramp at San Ysidro Road will close for three months, and drivers can use the southbound off-ramp at Sheffield Drive as a detour. To view a timeline and detour maps, please visit www.SBROADS.com.
On northbound Highway 101, two improved freeway lanes between Sheffield Drive and Hermosillo Road, a new auxiliary lane, updated on- and off-ramps at San Ysidro Road, enhanced off-ramps at Olive Mill and Hermosillo Roads, drainage improvements, and new, wider bridge segments at Romero, San Ysidro, and Oak Creeks are all open. The northbound auxiliary lane improves merging for drivers entering and exiting the freeway between San Ysidro and Olive Mill Roads.
The public is encouraged to find more information and sign up for biweekly construction updates on the project’s website at www.SBROADS.com, or by calling (805) 845.5112, or emailing info@SBROADS.com.

Map and diagram showing Highway 101 in Montecito near Olive Mill Road, San Ysidro Road, and Hixon Road. The graphic highlights the construction area where new southbound lanes will divided starting July 12 by channelizers (dashed red line) and concrete barrier separation (block gray line).