California State Route 154

State Route 154 marker
State Route 154
SR 154 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Caltrans
Length32.30 mi[1] (51.98 km)
Tourist
routes		 San Marcos Pass Road
RestrictionsNo hazardous material along the segment through the San Marcos Pass between SR 246 and US 101[2]
Major junctions
West end US 101 near Los Olivos
Major intersections
East end US 101 in Santa Barbara
Location
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountiesSanta Barbara
Highway system
← SR 153→ SR 155

State Route 154 (SR 154) (also known as the Chumash Highway[3] or unofficially as San Marcos Pass Road after the signage) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that runs from Los Olivos to Santa Barbara, crossing the San Marcos Pass in the Santa Ynez Mountains. Before U.S. Route 101 was built through the Gaviota Pass, SR 154 was the main throughway to Santa Barbara and the tri city area including use as a stagecoach route in early years. After being replaced by US 101 as the primary route between the Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Barbara, SR 154 now serves as a scenic bypass.

Route description

California SR 154 marker sign on San Marcos Pass Road in Santa Barbara

It is a 2 lane road with some passing lanes, with the highest altitude being 2000 ft. It rivals US 101 for traffic, but it goes through the Los Padres National Forest and the San Marcos Pass. It starts in Los Olivos as a spur from US 101, goes through the town, and then the end of SR 246 at Santa Ynez. It then reaches Lake Cachuma and passes through the Los Padres National Forest, and across the Cold Spring Canyon Arch Bridge, where Cold Spring Tavern is on Stagecoach Road which passes below the bridge. Nearby it crosses Camino Cielo Road to the East and West, then the intersection of Painted Cave Road and Old San Marcos Road before descending to Santa Barbara. It then briefly becomes four lanes and passes an offramp for SR 192 (named Foothill Road to the East and Cathedral Oaks Road to the West of SR 154), before stopping at Calle Real and a Southbound onramp to US 101 and ending at the point where State Street to the East becomes Hollister Avenue to the West.

SR 154 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System,[4] and a portion in Santa Barbara is part of the National Highway System,[5] a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration.[6] SR 154 is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System,[7] and is officially designated as a scenic highway by the California Department of Transportation,[8] meaning that it is a substantial section of highway passing through a "memorable landscape" with no "visual intrusions", where the potential designation has gained popular favor with the community.[9]

History

The highway from Santa Barbara through San Marcos Pass to what was Route 2 was added to the state highway system in 1931.[10] The route renumbered to SR 154 by the 1964 state highway renumbering.[11]

Major intersections

Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured on the road as it was in 1964, based on the alignment that existed at the time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. R reflects a realignment in the route since then, M indicates a second realignment, L refers to an overlap due to a correction or change, and T indicates postmiles classified as temporary (for a full list of prefixes, see California postmile § Official postmile definitions).[12] Segments that remain unconstructed or have been relinquished to local control may be omitted. The entire route is in Santa Barbara County.

LocationPostmile
[12][1][13]		ExitDestinationsNotes
Zaca StationR0.00 US 101 – Santa Maria, Santa BarbaraInterchange; west end of SR 154; US 101 exit 146
Santa YnezR8.11
 SR 246 west / Armour Ranch Road – Santa Ynez, Solvang, Buellton		Roundabout
​22.96Cold Spring Canyon Arch Bridge
​24.40[14]San Marcos Pass, elevation 2,181 feet (665 m)[14]
​ West end of freeway
​R31.5532
 SR 192 east (Foothill Road) / Cathedral Oaks Road
​ East end of freeway
Santa Barbara32.28 US 101 (SR 1)Interchange; east end of SR 154; US 101 exit 101B
32.28State StreetContinuation beyond US 101
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ^ a b California Department of Transportation (April 2008). "Log of Bridges on State Highways". Sacramento: California Department of Transportation.
  2. ^ "Special Route Restrictions". Caltrans. Retrieved 2014-07-28.
  3. ^ ACR 75
  4. ^ "Article 2 of Chapter 2 of Division 1". California Streets and Highways Code. Sacramento: California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  5. ^ Federal Highway Administration (March 25, 2015). National Highway System: California (South) (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  6. ^ Natzke, Stefan; Neathery, Mike & Adderly, Kevin (June 20, 2012). "What is the National Highway System?". National Highway System. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  7. ^ "Article 2.5 of Chapter 2 of Division 1". California Streets & Highways Code. Sacramento: California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  8. ^ California Department of Transportation (August 2019). "Officially Designated State Scenic Highways and Historic Parkways" (XLSX). Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  9. ^ California Department of Transportation (2012). Scenic Highway Guidelines (PDF). Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. p. 5. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  10. ^ California State Assembly. "An act establishing certain additional state highways and classifying them as secondary highways". Forty-ninth Session of the Legislature. Statutes of California. State of California. Ch. 82.
  11. ^ California State Assembly. "An act to add Section 253 and Article 3 (commencing with Section 300) to Chapter 2 of Division 1 of, and to repeal Section 253 and Article 3 (commencing with Section 300) of Chapter 2 of Division 1 of, the..." 1963 Session of the Legislature. Statutes of California. State of California. Ch. 385 p. 1182.
  12. ^ a b California Department of Transportation. "State Truck Route List". Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (XLS file) on September 5, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  13. ^ California Department of Transportation, All Traffic Volumes on CSHS, 2007
  14. ^ a b "Elevation and Location of Summits and Passes in California". California Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017.
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