State Route 135 Comprehensive Corridor Study

The State Route 135 Comprehensive Corridor Study, solicited by the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG), aims to evaluate and propose improvements for SR 135, a critical north-south transportation corridor connecting the community of Orcutt with Santa Maria and extending to the U.S. 101 interchange. The corridor features a transition from a rural highway to an urban arterial, including diverse land uses such as commercial, industrial, educational, and residential areas, with key intersections demanding focused analysis. The study will assess multimodal transportation needs, including safety, congestion, access management, and greenhouse gas emission reductions, while incorporating a bus rapid transit assessment and considering parallel facilities. The project governance involves a working group of local and Caltrans staff meeting biweekly, a stakeholder advisory committee appointed by SBCAG to provide recommendations at key milestones, and multiple reviews by regional technical and planning committees, culminating in presentations and final approvals by the SBCAG Board of Directors. This professional services contract, designated as solicitation 2025-RFP-028, was issued on December 2, 2025, with proposals due by January 9, 2026, and a budget of approximately $285,000 funded by Caltrans and local sources. The scope encompasses data collection, community outreach, traffic and safety analysis, and creation of comprehensive planning documents, including deliverables such as existing conditions reports, public workshop materials, a redesigned public website compliant with ADA and bilingual requirements, and a final corridor improvement plan. The contract structure utilizes SBCAG’s standardized agreement focusing on terms such as scope, compensation, contractor independence, insurance, and compliance with nondiscrimination regulations including DBE participation and ADA accessibility. Evaluation of proposals follows a best value trade-off approach weighted heavily toward technical merit and management strategy. Insurance and equal opportunity clauses are rigorous, mandating qualified insurers, primary coverage naming SBCAG as additional insured, waiver of subrogation, and non-discrimination obligations under federal and state law. Contract administration requires invoicing aligned with contractual schedules and compliance audits. The performance period is flexible, with placeholders for start and end dates, and contractual responsibilities extend to subcontractors to ensure alignment with all special requirements. The procurement process mandates electronic proposal submission through SBCAG’s e-procurement portal, with strict adherence to deadlines and proposal format guidelines.