The 40-foot slopes around the large-scale retaining wall along Cathedral Oaks Road from Winchester to Calle Real were damaged this winter, prompting the City of Goleta to close the road.
Resident Flora Aguirre, who works at Goleta Elementary School, says the closure has affected her commute.
"This is my route to work and now I have to go the long way. It does bother me because that way is more traffic and it's a little bit longer, but if it's for safety, then I prefer the long way to be safe," Aguirre said.
Longtime resident Olivia Jacinto says the biggest change since the closure is increased teenager antics.
"Especially in the night, some teenagers use it for races. It's dangerous for them and dangerous for us," Jacinto said.
Charlie Ebeling, Goleta Public Works Director, says the Cathedral Oaks crib wall project has been underway on the side of the road for several years. Still, after recent storms, the road was closed due to potential erosion under the roadway and it's now classified as an emergency relief project along with other smaller damage throughout the city.
"This is by far the biggest, but we've had everything from storm drains that are washed out to street trees and trees in our open space that have fallen," Ebeling said.
Funding for this project will come directly from the city's maintenance fund and is expected to cost up to $20 million.
Inspections are underway to determine if erosion has crept below the road. If that’s the case, Ebeling said, "Then that will probably accelerate the project and make it a higher priority."
For now, this portion of Cathedral Oaks Road will remain closed until further notice.
