A new study is taking a closer look at State Route 135, also known as Broadway, between Orcutt and Santa Maria, with a focus on safety, traffic congestion and transportation needs.
According to Mia Lewis, Transportation Planner with the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG), about 20,000 vehicles use the route each day.
The City of Santa Maria, Caltrans and SBCAG are working together on the study to identify potential improvements and better understand how people use the road.
“SBCAG is broadly looking at things like safety, congestion, access,” Lewis said. “We’re also looking at walking, biking and transit needs. Essentially, how people move through the corridor.”
The study is looking at several intersections, including Broadway at Main Street, Stowell Road and Betteravia Road.
Santa Maria Public Works Director Brett Fulgoni said the city is hoping the study will help address safety concerns and congestion.
“Pedestrian safety, and then congestion as a whole is increasing, and that’s why we’re looking to see this study provide us with those issues so that we can better understand the challenges,” Fulgoni said.
For Orsyn Duran, who bikes to work six to seven times a week, safety along Broadway is a concern.
“Sometimes I’ve had incidents and close calls because the streets are a little narrow,” Duran said. “Even though it’s called Broadway, it’s not very wide. There are places like this where cars are parked, which makes it very difficult. We have to move farther into the center of the street, and that puts us cyclists in danger.”
City transit bus driver Agustin Victorica said traffic can also become a challenge, particularly around school hours.
“It’s a lot of traffic in the hours of school and in the afternoon,” Victorica said. “Maybe also people walking where they’re not supposed to.”
Fulgoni said community feedback could help shape potential improvements, including the possibility of bus rapid transit along Broadway.
“It’s called a BRT, Bus Rapid Transit, and the idea is that we’d like to have 15-minute intervals for our buses up and down the Broadway corridor so that people can get around efficiently on our transit network,” Fuligoni said.
Lewis and Fuligoni are encouraging community members to attend upcoming meetings and share their experiences, concerns and transportation needs.
The first community meeting is scheduled for Sept. 17, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Santa Maria Public Library. Community members can also provide feedback through an online survey and attend additional public meetings.
