Project Details
The Sycamore Ranchito Landslide Repair Project is a 50 million dollar construction project designed and engineered to repair the ongoing active and incipient landslide zones and active and incipient rock toppling zones above Sycamore Canyon and Ranchito Vista Roads and reestablish vehicle access to property owners lost by the landslide and toppling. Of particular interest is the fact that because of the landslide, Sycamore Canyon Road is closed at the site of landslide (except for strictly controlled emergency situations) and CalTrans retains exclusive discretion as to if and when the road will be reopened.
The proposed construction is designed in seven stages and is tentatively scheduled to begin Phase I in November 2007 with completion of Phase VII in November 2009. The initial phase of the project will consist of constructing a series of 25-foot high fully embedded reinforced shotcrete retaining walls that are anchored by 180-foot inclined and fully grouted tieback anchors into existing hillside at the upper end of the landslide and rock toppling zones. A similar retaining wall will be strategically placed at the lower end of the landslide and several fully embedded reinforced concrete shear pins will be installed at intervals between the upper and lower retaining walls as designed by the project engineer to stabilize the landslide mass. Upon completion of the lower retaining wall, several thousand cubic yards of existing stockpiled soil currently located along Highway 154 will be reintroduced to the site, re-compacted with the native soil and geotextile reinforcement to counterbalance the driving forces of the landslide mass.
Beginning at the upper end of the landslide, as the arresting and stabilization portions of the project are completed, the sections of Sycamore Vista and Canon View Roads will be reconstructed as soon as practical to re-establish access to the properties above the landslide for use by emergency services and property owners.
Other phases of the project will include utility annexations to create easements for property owners to connect sewer lines to the City of Santa Barbara sewage treatment system and other Public utilities if necessary.
Santa Barbara County Planning and Development and Public Works Department in tandem with the City of Santa Barbara Community Development and Public Works Department will issue the required land use, building and road construction permits for the project.
|
