Public Works Department says there’s a maintenance backlog
Douglass Avenue is among the Santa Barbara County-maintained roads that Lompoc resident Steve Jordan says have been in bad shape for a long time.
Steve Jordan finds it difficult to drive on Lompoc Valley roads maintained by Santa Barbara County but plagued with potholes and lumps.
It’s so bad he has to drive slowly.
“Many of the roads have been patched, and it’s hard to go faster than 10 miles an hour,” the Lompoc resident and farmer told the News-Press. “There are a lot of lumps and potholes and no asphalt in some parts. The north-south roads are crap.”
Among the neglected roads are Douglass Avenue, which a News-Press photographer this week found was full of craters and potholes from Central Avenue to Ocean Avenue. The Renrick Road was also found to be rough.
Mr. Jordan, who wrote about the roads in a letter to the editor that will appear in this Sunday’s News-Press, is waiting for work to be done.
“First off, they have to fill the potholes and clean them up,” Mr. Jordan said. “Some of these roads have been neglected so long they need to be rebuilt.”
According to Mr. Jordan, these roads have been in this bad condition for a long time.
“The roads are slowly deteriorating,” he told the News-Press. “It has been in the last 20 years that they have gotten worse. Even the nice roads are going down.
“It’s hard to find a good street. I know them all very well,” he added.
These roads play a large role in the agricultural industry of Lompoc Valley. “We cut vegetables and ship them. And we have to drive 5 miles an hour or the vegetables will fall off the truck, and it’s tough on the equipment,” said Mr. Jordan.
The News-Press asked Lael Wageneck, the public information officer for Santa Barbara County Public Works Department, about the neglected roads.
“The roads you listed are in poor condition, reflecting the county’s nearly $300 million transportation maintenance backlog,” Mr. Wageneck told the News-Press in an email. “However, the Board of Supervisors prioritizes increased funding for roads, including the essential agricultural area west of Lompoc with $250,000 going to repave a section of Ocean Avenue last year.
“We are also partnering with Union Pacific Railroad to replace several railroad crossings in that area that can be challenging for produce trucks,” Mr. Wageneck said. “Once those crossings are replaced, we will look to fund road maintenance projects in those areas.
“Another vital project worth mentioning is the $15 million Floradale Avenue bridge replacement,” Mr. Wageneck said in his email to the News-Press. “This bridge will improve safety for the residents, visitors, and businesses that travel between the agricultural area in the south and the rest of the county to the north.”
Joan Hartmann, chair of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, did not respond to the News-Press’ request for comment.
In addition to the neglected roads, Mr. Jordan pointed out the problematic closure between July 6 and July 11 of Central Avenue, an east-west road in the Lompoc Valley. Those dates included the SpaceX launch, and Mr. Jordan said the closure caused an inconvenience to many, including the attendees of the launch.
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
