Santa Maria motorists have a new road and some new intersections to look out for. According to a press release from the city, a recently realigned portion of South Bradley Road opened to traffic on Feb. 24.
Part of the ongoing Enos Ranchos project, South Bradley Road has two new signal intersections as well, located at Meehan Street and Battles Road. Meehan Street is a new thruway created to connect College Drive and South Bradley Road.
The road construction is part of a retail development project spearheaded by NKT Commercial. The project is expected to bring businesses to an area at the corner of Betteravia Road and College Drive.
A February 2016 Santa Maria Planning Commission report referred to the site as “the front door of the city, where visitors to the city will enter to shop at new retail stores in the Enos Ranchos development, the existing Crossroads Center, the automobile dealers, and other retail stores further down Betteravia Road near Target.”
Planned construction projects along Highway 101 and Betteravia Road include a new Costco store, Buffalo Wild Wings, Lowe’s, and a Chik-fil-A. The Planning Commission approved the project in March 2016.
The site of the planned development project was also once home to the Smith-Enos house, originally built in 1872. The historic building was donated to the city of Santa Maria Parks and Recreation Department and moved an area along South College Street.
During the ongoing construction, the city cautions drivers to be aware of heavy equipment operators transporting materials and machinery and to watch out for the changes at the new intersections.
This article appears in Mar 2-9, 2017.