Replies:rooker1:My first comment! Thanks! Credits for the map go to blade2k5, the map making genius.
Connor:Thanks mate. I hope you keep following my MD.
ecoba:Thanks. I hesitated to show the region view because it is far from finished. I still have to connect all those rivers. I just roughly plopped them down so that i do not forget to leave space for them. It will probably take some time till I will show close ups of the rivers. I haven't done any detailing yet.
Battlecat:I switched the Terrain Mod recently. I just felt it looks better for this region.
nedalezz:Thank you. You know, initially I intended the region to be much closer to the real Santa Barbara without high rises. But one night I got carried away and developed a CBD. I decided to keep it because I like how it turned out. I still do not want those mega skyscrapers, though.
ldvger:Welcome to my MD. Maybe it was a mistake to use the actual name. It might lead to confusion for people that did not read the introduction. I will try to explain the differences to reality in my future updates. But I can not do a recreation. I just need my artistic freedom.
kwakelaar:Thanks for visiting my MD.
armagin:Hi, you will see more right in this post.
canyonjumper:Good to see you here.
bat:Thanks. I hope yu like this update, too.
Tomas Neto:Thanks Tomas.
Traveling Santa Barbara County
In the next couple of updates I'm gonna show you the major transportation networks in the Region. We will start with Interstate 5.
In reality of course I-5 does not go through Santa Barbara. But I wanted to have an Interstate in my region so I decided that in my parallel universe it would.
Read more about the real I-5 on
WikipediaI-5 is the main route between Los Angeles and San Francisco and also the main freeway in Santa Barbara County. It traverses the region in east-west direction.
The numbers indicate where the following pictures were taken.It was opened to traffic in 1959. Since then only a few major upgrades were made. Most parts are still only 4 lanes which is pretty substandard for todays traffic volumes causing heavy congestion. What once was a fast and convenient connection between two metropolises is now a bottleneck. I-5 is almost constantly congested during weekdays. Commute times from the suburbs to the CBD and also travel times through the region are ridiculously high.
Plans for upgrading I-5 exist since the early seventies. But due to the
freeway revolts they were postponed. In the mid-eighties several projects to improve I-5 were finally started. Several Interchanges were upgraded for a future widening of I-5 to 6 lanes. Unfortunately the widening project quickly ran into funding problems. At that time the green party was in charge and diverted money from road construction projects to mass transit.
Recently there has been a change in political climate. So expect to see some improvements of the Santa Barbara road network in future updates.
Let me now show show you some pictures of I-5 through Santa Barbara County as it stands today. We are travelling from west to east towards LA.
1
I-5 <-> state route 154 (San Marcos Pass Road)
We will travel San Marcos Pass Road in a future update. It is the only road in the region that passes over the mountains. Right before the intersection with I-5 it widens from 2 to 4 lanes and continues as a divided expressway south to the coast.
2
I-5 <-> W Turnpike RoadThis roundabout interchange has already been built wide enough to enable expansion of I-5 to six lanes. On the top right is an artificial rain retention basin. It is full because it has been raining alot in the days before the picture was taken.
3
I-5 <-> S Patterson AveAlthough this exit was built only a few years ago it is substandard. There was just not enough money available to build a fancy intersection. It is not even wide enough to allow for a widening of I-5. So it will have to be rebuilt anyway. But this exit was badly needed to relief congestion on Turnpike Road. So it was built quick and cheap.
4
I-5 <-> Las Positas RdOn the top left you can see the county jail.
5

Some of the few remaining farm fields in the region. Here you can get an idea of how the region looked 50 years ago when Santa Barbara was famous for its fruit plantations.
6
I-5 <-> E Turnpike Rd.A few services are available at this exit: supermarket, gas station, fast food and a motel.
We will continue traveling along I-5 through the CBD in the next update. Thanks for reading and please comment.