Los Patos Underpass Removal Project

As part of the Caltrans U.S. 101 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) and Widening Project’s 4E North Segment, the Highway 101 southbound off-ramp at Los Patos Way will permanently close. Once the off-ramp is closed, the Los Patos Underpass Project (Project) will remove the underpass, Bridge No. 51-0235, and fill in the underpass with compacted soil and re-install the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) track on top of the fill. Landscaping will replace the former off-ramp. The end of Los Patos Way at the former underpass will be turned into a cul-de-sac. There will be gated access at the end of the cul-de-sac for maintenance access.

There will be a temporary shoofly (rail bypass) constructed between the Project and the Cabrillo and Los Patos Roundabout Project to allow continued train travel during the construction of both projects. The shoofly will be created once the retaining walls for the new Cabrillo/Highway 101 interchange are constructed as part of the U.S. 101 HOV and Widening Project’s 4E North Segment. Funding is still pending for the Cabrillo/UPRR Bridge Replacement Project and the U.S. 101 HOV and Widening Project’s 4E North Segment. If state funding is awarded, construction is anticipated to begin in 2027 and end in 2029.

The removal of the underpass and closure of the Los Patos Way off-ramp is a necessary safety measure and a contingency of the UPRR in order to reconstruct the UPRR Bridge over Cabrillo Boulevard. Construction of the UPRR Bridge is a critical access connection for all road users that connect to the HOV Project and Los Patos/Cabrillo Roundabout that is currently under construction. Critical and safe walking, biking, and driving connections to the Eastside, Montecito, and Waterfront will be realized with all of these projects. 

• Notice of Preparation (NOP)
• CEQA Initial Study
• Notice of Availability (NOA)
• Draft Environmental Impact Report (Draft EIR)

California Environmental Quality Act

The City of Santa Barbara (City), acting as the lead agency, has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Report (Draft EIR) for the Los Patos Underpass Removal Project (Project). The Draft EIR analyzes the potential environmental effects associated with the proposed Project in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). In accordance with Section 15087 of the CEQA Guidelines, the City has prepared this Notice of Availability (NOA) to provide responsible agencies and other interested parties with notice of the availability of the Draft EIR and to solicit comments and concerns regarding the environmental issues associated with the proposed Project. A Final EIR (Response to Comments) will be prepared following public review and comment. The City will consider this information when deliberating on the Project.

Significant Environmental Effects

The City has prepared a Draft EIR pursuant to CEQA which analyzes environmental impacts in the areas of aesthetics, biological resources, cultural resources, hazards and hazardous materials, land use and planning, cumulative impacts, and other CEQA-required analysis.  The Draft EIR identified:

• Significant and unavoidable environmental effects related to aesthetics, biological resources, and land use and planning due to the tree removal required for the Project, and significant and unavoidable environmental effects related to cultural resources due to the removal of the Los Patos Rail Bridge;
• Impacts related to hazards and hazardous materials and biological resources would be less than significant with mitigation incorporated; and
• Impacts to all other environmental topic areas as identified by Appendix G of the CEQA Guidelines would be less than significant or less than significant.

The Project site does not contain sites listed on hazardous substances databases/lists enumerated under Section 65962.5 of the Government Code.

Initial Study

The City is the Lead Agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The CEQA Initial Study showed that the Project may have a potentially significant effect on the following resources:

•    Aesthetics;
•    Biological Resources;
•    Cultural and Tribal Cultural Resources (removal of Structure of Merit);
•    Hazards and Hazardous Materials; and
•    Land Use and Planning (removal of Structure of Merit)

An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is being prepared to evaluate these potential effects.

Notice of Preparation

The City has prepared this Notice of Preparation (NOP) to inform agencies and interested parties that an EIR would be prepared for the Los Patos Underpass Removal Project (proposed Project). This NOP solicited guidance from regulatory agencies regarding the scope and content of environmental information related to the agencies’ statutory responsibilities in the EIR. The agencies will use the EIR when considering the permits or other approvals related to the proposed Project. The NOP offered an opportunity for interested parties to inform the City regarding environmental issues they feel should be addressed in the EIR.

Planning Commission Public Hearing 

Date: Thursday, May 1, 2025
Location: City Hall, Council Chambers (735 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101) 
Time: 1:00 p.m.

A Public Hearing on the Draft EIR will be held before Planning Commission on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. You are invited to attend the hearing and address your verbal comments to the Planning Commission. Meeting agendas, minutes, and videos are available online at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/PC. 
All reasonable accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities; call (805) 564-5305 one week in advance.

If you challenge the project approval or environmental document in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the Planning Commission at, or prior to the public hearing.

(Previous) Public Scoping Meeting

A Public Scoping Meeting was held on October 24, 2024, at the Palm Park Beach House for interested parties to comment on the Scope of the Los Patos Underpass Removal Project’s focused EIR, as described in the CEQA Initial Study circulated with the NOP. All comments have been responded to in the Draft EIR. 
 

45-Day Public Comment Period

A 45-day public review period for the Draft EIR will commence on Friday, April 11, 2025, and end on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. All comments on the Draft EIR must be received by the City by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 2, 2025. Comments may be submitted via mail, e-mail, or hand delivery. 

Please send your comments to:
City of Santa Barbara, Public Works, Engineering Division
Attn: Beth Anna Cornett, Senior Planner
630 Garden Street, PO Box 1990,
Santa Barbara, CA 93102-1990
email: BCornett@SantaBarbaraCA.gov

Printed copies of the Draft EIR are available for review at the following locations:

City of Santa Barbara, Public Works Permit Counter
630 Garden Street 
Santa Barbara, California 93101   

The Permit Counter is located in the Community Development/Public Works Building at 630 Garden Street, Santa Barbara, California. The Public Counter is open for walk-in services Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. On Wednesdays, the counter is open 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. – no appointment needed.

Santa Barbara Public Library 
40 East Anapamu Street 
Santa Barbara, California 93101

Santa Barbara Public Library hours are 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and Sunday 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.