Lost in the drama surrounding the censure hearing for a Lompoc City Council member on Sept. 15 was an agenda item to discuss an additional roadway crossing of the Santa Ynez River. Currently there are already three crossings: one on North H Street, one on Floradale Avenue near the U.S. prison, and one on Highway 246 east of town.
The old McLaughlin Road crossing was located at the eastern end of A Street connecting the northeast section of the city to Rucker/La Purisima Roads, and according to previous studies, it served about 4,300 travelers each day when it was passable.
Even though such a crossing has proved to be “convenient” in the past, I thought this idea was tossed in the recycle bin more than three decades ago because when it was actively maintained by the county it was only open for about half the year.
Winter rain would wash it out, and the river would flow for a few months; once the ground was dry enough, they would place a couple of drainpipes, dump truckloads of gravel and sand (aggregate), grade it flat, and then wait for the first substantial rain event to wash it out.
The Lompoc City Council looked at this in 2018, and according to the staff report found that the “crossing was last reconstructed in 1994 and washed out sometime between 1994 and 1999. County Public Works staff replied that reconstructing the McLaughlin Crossing is infeasible because regulatory agencies no longer allow such vehicle crossings to be constructed in rivers in California, meaning the city or county could not receive the necessary permits and approvals to reconstruct the McLaughlin Crossing.”
A similar proposal to build a crossing connecting Central Avenue with Highway 246 was scuttled years ago for the same reason: the cost (tens of millions of dollars) for design, construction, and environmental mitigation concerns.
Apparently, according to the Sept. 15 staff report, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments “will study a roadway across the Santa Ynez River on the northeast side of Lompoc.” This after saying, “County road funding is insufficient for the county’s many other needs, and a roadway or bridge at the McLauglin Crossing location is a low priority for the county.” Thus why is the city taking another look at a project that would have little chance of ever being built?
What our city needs is a leadership team (City Council) that can stop revisiting issues that were settled years ago and instead focus on projects that have the potential to move our city forward.
Some of the discussion focused on “emergency egress routes” out of town in case of an evacuation. Let’s face it, there are only three ways into and out of Lompoc across the Santa Ynez River, and it appears that’s the way it’s going to remain. A crossing that’s unusable for several months each year, or one that would take several decades to accomplish, isn’t the answer.
It would make more sense to construct an overcrossing for northbound traffic where Santa Lucia Canyon Road intersects Highway 1. Currently northbound traffic must use the southbound lanes, travel south to Constellation Road, and then turn northbound. This would be nearly impossible to accomplish during an emergency evacuation. Such a project would be environmentally sound, improve routine traffic flow, and be much cheaper than trying to add another crossing to the Santa Ynez River.
According to the “Nature and Purpose” statement at the beginning of the city’s 2030 General Plan, “The Lompoc General Plan functions as a guide to the type of community that Lompoc citizens desire for their future and provides the means by which that desired future can be achieved.”
There is no mention of connecting Central Avenue with Highway 246 or improving the McLaughlin crossing in 2030 General Plan Circulation Element, which was adopted by the City Council in July 2026.
What our city needs is a leadership team (City Council) that can stop revisiting issues that were settled years ago and instead focus on projects that have the potential to move our city forward.
The November election is a chance to select a new leadership team.
Ron Fink writes to the Sun from Lompoc. Send a letter for publication to letters@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in October 1 – October 8, 2026.
