Weaving Connections on the Santa Ynez River
Santa Ynez River, Photo Credit: Althouse & Meade
Project Overview:
Planning efforts began in 2024 to explore replacement options for the Union Pacific railroad bridge spanning the mouth of the Santa Ynez River near Ocean Park. This project seeks to replace the existing bridge, which currently restricts water flow and contributes to habitat degradation, with a new structure that restores more natural river and shoreline function. The effort will incorporate nature-based solutions—such as marsh restoration and vegetated shoreline stabilization—to reduce flooding risk, improve resilience to sea level rise and storms, and protect critical transportation infrastructure. These ecological improvements are closely tied to broader goals of restoring estuary function and enhancing coastal resilience. See more at SantaYnezSurfBridge.org
Community Context:
The Santa Ynez River mouth is a valued community destination used for recreation, birdwatching, picnicking, and access to Ocean Park and Surf Beach. As planning moves forward, community input is central to shaping the future of the bridge design and surrounding landscape. LegacyWorks will directly engage residents of Lompoc and other interested community members through surveys, focus groups, and a design charrette planned for July 2026, ensuring local perspectives help inform decisions about access, use, and long-term stewardship of the site.
Overhead view of project site on Santa Ynez River
Map of Project Area
Role of LegacyWorks:
LegacyWorks was hired by Althouse & Meade to lead community engagement for this project. We will engage the local community and help align partners around a shared vision for a more resilient and ecologically functioning river mouth. This includes convening stakeholders and ensuring community input is effectively communicated into the planning and design process, which may incorporate nature-based solutions, ecological restoration, public access, and transportation safety.
What is the primary goal of the project?
This project seeks to replace the existing railroad bridge while implementing nature based solutions, such as those described above, to improve coastal resiliency. Additional benefits of this project may include estuary restoration as a result of bridge design and improved public access to Ocean Park and Surf Beach.
What is the geographic scope of the project?
The project area includes Surf Bridge, Ocean Park, the northern portion of Surf Beach and the lower portion of the Santa Ynez Estuary including the Santa Ynez River mouth.
Partners
Althouse and Meade, Union Pacific Railroad, Integral, KCI, HDR, Sandbar Ecological Advising
Who is funding the project?
Funding for the current planning project is provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's National Coastal Resilience Fund. The planning project is led by Althouse and Meade in close collaboration with several partners. LegacyWorks is leading community engagement to inform the design process. There are a number of other organizations involved in the design process including engineers, ecologists, planners. The specific project partners are: Union Pacific Railroad, Althouse and Meade, LegacyWorks, Sandbar Ecological Advising, HDR Engineering, KCI Engineering, and Integral Consulting. The organizations will work closely with several local, state, and federal agencies
Timeframe
2025 - Design Community engagement phase
2026 - Conduct Community Engagement
Late 2026 - Finalize Design Plans ,followed by permitting process and public comment period
2029 - Bridge replacement construction expected to begin
Services in Action
Strategy Consulting and Planning, Collaborative Facilitation and Community Engagement
Milestones & progress
January 2025 - Community survey released in English and Spanish.
March - April 2025 - 5 focus groups conducted with community members
July 2026 - Community charette
Next steps
Once the initial community engagement for this planning portion of the project is completed, LegacyWorks will continue to serve as the community partner, providing updates on project progression throughout the final design and permitting process.
“We want to understand what people are already valuing about this space, any concerns they might have about the preliminary design and the construction, and of course what the vision for the future of this space could look like. The current bridge needs to be replaced. The new bridge design offers the opportunity to make improvements both for the estuary and the community.” - Sophie Bartley, Project Manager, LegacyWorks, as seen in Noozhawk article on March 21, 2026.
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