The overnight crews at Meigs Road and Cliff Drive are working through their last few weeks. Under the City's current schedule, the noise and the flaggers at that intersection end in early November. That date is only the first one on a longer calendar. The City has three projects queued on and above Cliff Drive: the water mains now, the Cliff Drive Vision Zero redesign in 2027, and the Vic Trace Reservoir Replacement in Alta Mesa from 2028 through 2031. Each one is planned to begin after the one before it.
Seen together, the three projects add up to a schedule for the Mesa's main road that runs most of the next five years. Some dates on that schedule are set. Others still depend on bids, environmental review and traffic plans, and those open decisions are where residents still have a say.
What Ends in November
The City announced on August 3 that it would start night work at the Meigs Road and Cliff Drive intersection on August 31. Crews work from 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., and the City expects to finish by early November, "weather and field conditions permitting." The City said it picked overnight hours to reduce impacts on businesses and daytime traffic. It warned of construction noise, temporary traffic control and possible delays, and said local residents and emergency vehicles would keep their access.
The businesses near the intersection are the reason the City chose night hours. Corner Tap is at 1905 Cliff Drive and Mesa Burger is at 315 Meigs Road, both covered during the Santa Barbara Independent's Burger Week in February 2026. Farther along Cliff Drive, Wingstop had opened at 1964 Cliff Drive when Noozhawk reported on it in December 2025.
The schedule has already moved once. The City's Vision Zero project page still shows the original plan. Water-main work was to begin in early October 2025 at the Las Positas Road roundabout and move east. Overnight work at the roundabout and at Meigs was set for 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., Monday through Thursday, and the whole job was to finish in summer 2026. The August notice replaced that plan with longer nightly hours and a finish in early November. The original plan also covered daytime work on Meigs Road from Ricardo Avenue to Salida Drive, on Red Rose, on Red Rose Lane, on La Marina, and on Cliff Drive from the roundabout to La Marina.
Why the Pipes Had to Go First
The water mains come first because the bigger project depends on them. The City says the water-main replacement "needs to happen first," before Vision Zero can start, and describes it as replacing aging piping, valves and hydrants "in advance of the upcoming Cliff Drive Vision Zero Project." That order makes practical sense. The City is replacing what runs under Cliff Drive before it rebuilds the surface, so it doesn't have to dig up a new street later.
The reservoir project is coordinated with Vision Zero the same way. The City's June 2026 FAQ for Vic Trace says the two teams "continue to work closely with one another to ensure that the scope of work, traffic impacts, and schedules minimize compounding impacts for the surrounding community during construction."
Here is the full sequence as the City has published it:
| Project | Where | City's stated timing | Status as of October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cliff Drive water main | Meigs/Cliff intersection, Las Positas roundabout, Meigs, Red Rose, La Marina | Night work through early November 2026 | Under construction |
| Cliff Drive Vision Zero | Arroyo Burro County Park to Castillo Street | Advertise for bids fall 2026; construction spring 2027 | Final design; bid advertisement not yet confirmed |
| Vic Trace Reservoir Replacement | Alta Mesa; La Coronilla, Dolores Drive, Ricardo Drive | Preconstruction winter 2027 to spring 2028; construction spring 2028 to 2031 | Design and environmental review |
What Cliff Drive Becomes in 2027
Cliff Drive was built by Caltrans as a highway. As Noozhawk reported in July 2025, the state handed it to the City after years of lobbying in the 2000s. Vision Zero is the first full redesign of the road since that handover. The City describes it as "removing unnecessary traffic lanes" and adding a three-mile separated path for all ages and abilities from Arroyo Burro County Park to Castillo Street. The path would close a major gap in the 30-mile South Coast coastal bike route between UCSB and Ventura County.
The design Noozhawk reported in July 2025 included these changes at specific points along the road:
- Fourteen new crosswalks, safety upgrades at four existing crosswalks, and four new traffic signals, with curb extensions, median refuge islands, rapid flashing beacons, safety lighting, and high-visibility markings at crossings.
- A new crosswalk at Cliff Drive and Salida Del Sol for better coastal access.
- A wider sidewalk along Loma Alta connecting to the new Cliff Drive path.
- A reconfigured frontage at Santa Barbara City College. The curved entrance near the bus stop would be removed, the East Campus entrance would move to the current exit, and the East and West Campus entrances would each get a signal.
- The strip-mall lot where Taco Bell sits would switch from two-way to one-way traffic, with angled parking facing the businesses.
- Forty-six parking spaces removed along the road, 23 trees removed, and 70 new trees planted.
Ian Baucke, a member of the City's Transportation and Circulation Committee, told Noozhawk at the time, "It is revolutionary." The same article said the City had $27 million from the state's Active Transportation Program for design and construction, with a 20 percent local match.
These details come from the 2025 design. In its March 24, 2026 update, the City described the project as nearing final design. Exact layouts at individual intersections could still change before construction.
The Hill Above It, 2028 to 2031
Once Cliff Drive's surface is rebuilt, the next project moves up the hill. The Vic Trace Reservoir in Alta Mesa was built in 1956. It holds 10 million gallons, and the City says it serves about 60,000 people. The plan replaces it with two buried 5-million-gallon tanks and replaces water lines on La Coronilla, Dolores Drive and Ricardo Drive. The reservoir is named for Victor "Vic" Trace, the City's water superintendent from 1900 to 1934.
The City's June 2026 FAQ estimates the total cost at $130 million. It lists state low-interest loans, grants and possible bond measures as funding options it is exploring. On the ground, the FAQ says:
- Most work will happen from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Some reservoir and large-pipeline work will require off-hours shifts, with advance notice to neighbors.
- Construction trucks will likely use Dolores Drive, though a detailed traffic plan is still being developed.
- Temporary street parking restrictions will be posted with signage. They are not expected to begin until 2028.
- Demolition and concrete work will exceed the 60 to 65 dBA level the General Plan considers normally acceptable for residential outdoor areas. The City says a noise study will propose mitigation such as sound walls and noise-dampening devices.
Where the Schedule Is Still Open
The water mains have an end date. The rest of the calendar depends on decisions that haven't been made yet:
- The Vision Zero bid. In March, the City said it planned to advertise the project for construction in fall 2026. As of mid-October, we have found no City notice confirming the bid has gone out. The City's October 6 notice still describes the project as "coming soon." Construction phasing details will come after a contractor is selected.
- The Vic Trace environmental review. The Draft EIR comment period closed July 30, 2026. A Final EIR with responses to comments is still to come.
- The truck route and noise plan. Both are still being developed. Dolores Drive is the likely truck route, not a final one.
- The reservoir construction team. The City has named Tynan Group as the construction management team, working in partnership with Black & Veatch, and held a community meet-and-greet with them on September 30.
The City labels the reservoir timeline "subject to change." The 2031 finish date reflects the City's current plan and could change.
Thursday at 1435 Cliff Drive
The next public update on both projects is this week. The Santa Barbara Mesa Association meets Thursday, October 15, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Free Methodist Church, 1435 Cliff Drive. Kelly Bourque, project manager for the Vic Trace replacement, will give a brief update. The agenda also includes a Cliff Drive Vision Zero presentation, City Hall updates from Councilmember Jordan, and a Santa Barbara County briefing on preparing for El Niño conditions.
The City sends email updates on the reservoir to anyone who subscribes at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/VicTrace, and mails notices to neighbors near the site before construction impacts begin. For the overnight work at Meigs and Cliff, the City contact is Project Engineer Mehdi Moussavian at (805) 897-2501.
If you own property on the Mesa and are planning a renovation, a sale or a purchase in the next few years, the City's construction calendar belongs in that plan. Maureen McDermut & Associates can go over how the Cliff Drive and Vic Trace schedules line up with your plans for a specific street. Schedule a private consultation.
