GOLETA – Construction on the San Jose Creek Project begins Tuesday and motorists should expect delays and detours on Highway 217 and South Kellogg Avenue.
The project is the most expensive capital project the City of Goleta has undertaken.
Highway 217 will be down to one lane during construction. On Tuesday, the on-ramp at Hollister Avenue will be closed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. as crews set k-rails along the road.
The plan is to improve capacity of the creek and create fish passage for steelhead trout. Before the cement channel was built, the steelhead would swim up the creek to spawn then return to the ocean.
Currently, the water moves too fast for the fish to traverse but in the new design there are areas to slow the water down so the fish can swim though San Jose Creek.
The first phase of the project which is the expansion of the channel should take two years to complete. The second phase will replace the Hollister Avenue Bridge which will also take two years.
For more information on the San Jose Creek Project, click here: http://www.sanjosecreekproject.com/project-information/
