California State Route 217

This past month I drove the entirety of California State Route 217 which is a short freeway located in Santa Barbara County. CA 217 has a strange western terminus as a Super-Two at the gate of University of California Santa Barbara.

The origins of CA 217 date back to 1955 when the route was added to the State Highway system between Santa Barbara and UC Santa Barbara in Goleta as Legislative Route 236 according to CAhighways.org. LRN 236 first appears on the 1956 State Highway Map as an un-constructed State Highway.

It appears that by 1963 a functional LRN 236 had been constructed between US 101 in Santa Barbara and UC Santa Barbara. The completed route of LRN 236 can be seen on the 1963 State Highway Map.

According to CAhighways.org the route of LRN 236 was swapped to CA 217 during the 1964 California State Highway Renumbering and declared Clarence Ward Memorial Boulevard. The change from LRN 236 to CA 217 can be observed on the 1964 State Highway Map.

According to CAhighways.org the route of CA 217 was legislatively extended to loop back to US 101 west of Goleta in 1965. The planned extension of CA 217 can be first seen on the 1966 State Highway Map but was ultimately never constructed.

The present route of CA 217 is only 2 miles in length.

My approach to CA 217 was from US 101/CA 1 northbound in Goleta. I approached CA 217 west from US 101 Exit 104B.

CA 217 is still signed as Clarence Ward Memorial Boulevard despite entire route being a freeway.

CA 217 west Exit 2 accesses Hollister Avenue.

Santa Barbara Airport and Goleta Beach Park are signed as accessible via CA 217 west Exit 1 by way of Sandspit Road. Traffic is also advised that the freeway grade of CA 217 ends west of Exit 1.

CA 217 west becomes a Super-Two Freeway approaching the gate to UC Santa Barbara. CA 217 ends just west of the gate of UC Santa Barbara as a roundabout at Post Mile SB 0.464.

The west terminus of CA 217 being a roundabout leads to an oddity where traffic can reverse course onto CA 217 east and resume speeds of 65 MPH.

CA 217 east reverses course to US 101/CA 1southbound. CA 217 east does have access Exit 3 which is signed to direct traffic onto US 101/CA 1 north.

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