For many drivers in Santa Barbara County, the daily commute along Highway 166 is more than a routine, it’s a safety concern.
From backed-up intersections to unsafe crossings near schools, residents of Guadalupe and Santa Maria are voicing growing concerns over what they say is a dangerous stretch of highway.
On Thursday, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) will host the first of two public workshops aimed at addressing those issues and presenting early-stage solutions.
“It’s like, do I go now or wait? It’s a mess,” said Guadalupe resident Honorio Carlon, who has lived in the area since he was eight years old. “There’s going to be an accident there eventually.”
Carlon, like many residents, pointed to the intersection of Obispo Street and Highway 166 as a particular concern. He described near-daily congestion during the school day and agricultural commute hours, conditions he says are worsened by the lack of traffic lights and the nearby railroad crossing.
SBCAG is conducting a corridor study of a 7.4-mile segment of Highway 166 between Guadalupe and Santa Maria.
The study is designed to assess existing safety and mobility challenges while laying the groundwork for future funding and implementation of road improvements.
“We’re sharing our draft improvement concepts and getting feedback to make sure we get it right,” said Maya Kulkarni, SBCAG Transportation Planner. “It’s the people who use this road every day who understand it best. Their input is what we need.”
The proposed improvements are still in the conceptual stage but may include new traffic signals, crosswalk upgrades, sidewalk additions, better pedestrian infrastructure, and multimodal safety enhancements.
The study does not yet include cost estimates; instead, it is meant to identify needs and priorities in preparation for future funding applications.
For parents and educators in Guadalupe, the stakes are especially high. One Head Start teacher, who has commuted from Santa Maria for nearly two decades, said student safety near school zones is a daily concern.
“We’ve had to ask drivers to slow down in the parking lot, to stop using their phones,” she said. “These are preschoolers. We teach them to hold hands, not run, but people don’t always pay attention.”
Carlos Escalera, a local father, said he sees the impact firsthand.
“There’s always a lot of traffic,” he said in Spanish. “When the train comes through, the line of cars lasts several minutes. It feels unsafe when kids are crossing.”
SBCAG emphasized that community feedback is critical to the study’s success. The agency plans to compile input from these workshops and an advisory committee to produce a final set of concepts later this year.
The first public workshop will be held on Thursday, May 22, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Santa Maria Veterans Memorial Hall. A second workshop is scheduled for Thursday, May 29, in Guadalupe at City Hall Auditorium.
“This is about building a better and safer corridor, and that begins with the people who use it,” Kulkarni added.
