By Jeff Shelton, Architect
In 2019, we were contacted by Bengal Engineering asking if we’d like to join their team as architectural consultant for a new Santa Barbara Public Works project. Bengal was putting together a proposal for the State Street Undercrossing, a corridor which passes under the 101 Freeway and connects Santa Barbara’s waterfront to downtown Santa Barbara. This ‘undercrossing’ or ‘underpass’ is sort of a gateway to and from the beach to the city but the walking experience has always been a little grim, and having to walk under a noisy four-lane freeway is not natural. The existing bridge portion of the undercrossing is actually quite remarkable, especially for a Cal Trans project, and this extraordinary bridge design set the stage for our pedestrian improvements below.
[Drawings by Jeff Shelton. Digital Renderings by Harrison Smith of Bengal Engineering.]