U.S. 101 reopened Sunday after a nearly two-week closure due to deadly mudslides that caused traffic headaches across the region, state officials said.
Associated Press
U.S. 101 Reopens Weeks After Deadly Mudslides
U.S. Highway 101 reopened on Jan. 21, 2018, after two weeks of cleanup following deadly mudslides that closed the highway for weeks. (California Department of Transportation)
Traffic began moving again on U.S. 101 in Santa Barbara County shortly after noon, according to Jim Shivers, spokesman for the California Department of Transportation. Officials had promised a day earlier that the highway would be open again in time for the Monday morning commute.
All lanes were inundated Jan. 9 when a powerful storm brought down boulders and trees from hillsides in Montecito made bare by last month's wildfires. At least 21 people were killed and hundreds of homes were destroyed or damaged. A 17-year-old boy and 2-year-old girl remain missing.
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Crews worked around the clock clearing drainage areas, stabilizing embankments and repairing guardrails and signs. They also cleaned and swept the highway.
During the U.S. 101 shutdown, Amtrak added additional cars to its route between Santa Barbara and points east as travelers increasingly relied on rail service to get around the closure.
With many surface streets also impassable, a series of smaller mountain highways were temporarily the only other ground route into the Los Angeles area — located 90 miles down the coast — adding more than three hours to the trip.