It’s finally happened: The city of Santa Maria officially opened a portion of Union Valley Parkway on Dec. 16. The one-mile stretch includes a new three-way traffic signal at Highway 135 and Union Valley Parkway, connecting the highway to Blosser Road.
Construction of Union Valley Parkway has been on the city’s to-do list for more than 40 years. However, funding problems and opposition from community members prevented it from becoming a reality until now.
According to a press release, the city views the completion of this first phase, which cost $5.2 million, as a “milestone for the community.”
“It is the first step of an overall project which will relieve traffic in the southern Santa Maria and northern Orcutt areas, now and into the future,” the press release said.
The project hit a road block in 2009 when the grassroots group Orcutt Citizens for Better Environment filed a lawsuit against the city challenging the project’s Environmental Impact Report. That lawsuit was later settled when the city agreed to build an eight-foot sound wall between the parkway and Foxenwood neighborhood, where many of the group’s members live.
The multi-million dollar Union Valley Parkway project is a joint effort between the city of Santa Maria, Caltrans, and Santa Barbara County. There are two more phases scheduled, including plans to connect the roadway to Hummel Drive (expected to be completed in 2011); and construction of an interchange at U.S. Highway 101.
For more information about the UVP project, including aerial photos, visit ci.santa-maria.ca.us/3078.shtml.
This article appears in Dec 23-30, 2010.