Plans Approved for Bridge Replacements
Despite protests from environmentalists, the Board of Supervisors has approved plans to replace two old bridges linking Ventura County with Santa Barbara County.
State transportation officials have been pushing for more than a decade to replace the narrow, 69-year-old bridges that span Rincon Creek on California 150, saying they were outdated and had become dangerous to motorists.
But environmentalists in both counties complained that replacing the bridges with larger structures would only invite more traffic. They said it would also force the removal of dozens of trees as well as a quarter-acre of wetland used by several species of rare birds.
In the end, however, supervisors decided the safety issues were paramount. They voted 4 to 0 Tuesday to approve the project. Supervisor John Flynn is on vacation.
The $2.5-million project calls for each of the bridges to be replaced by 36-foot-wide structures, twice the width of the current bridges.
Because the bridges traverse both counties, the project cannot go forward without the approval of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors.
Even if approved, opponents could still appeal the decision to the California Coastal Commission.
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