Highway 101 rest stops reopen near Gaviota after $5.5 million wastewater project

Highway 101 rest stops near Gaviota reopened Thursday after the completion of a $5.5 million wastewater system improvement project, according to a Caltrans news release.

The Gaviota safety roadside rest areas are located on each side of Highway 101 just south of the Gaviota Tunnel in Santa Barbara County.

The facilities, which include restrooms for travelers, had been closed for construction since mid-2021.

The project, which started in June 2021, aimed to “upgrade the wastewater treatment and electrical systems, install a new water storage tank/pump house and construct a new crew building,” Caltrans District 5 public information officer Jim Shivers said in the release.

The contractor was Specialty Construction of San Luis Obispo, the release said.

The project originally expected to be completed in April, but a COVID-19 outbreak among the construction workers and coronavirus-related supply chain issues pushed back the opening date, Shivers told Noozhawk in May.

The project also experienced a price hike. It was originally expected to cost $4.7 million, Caltrans said in November.

Caltrans reminds motorists to move over and slow down when driving through highway work zones.

For traffic updates in Santa Barbara County, call Caltrans District 5 Public Affairs at 805-549-3318 or visit dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-5.