Heads-up, drivers: ‘Substantial traffic’ on Hwy 101, with I-5 Grapevine closed
Update >> >> Traffic update: Highway 101 still slow on Central Coast due to I-5 closure
Highway 101 and Highway 46 were the “only viable detour between Central and Southern (California)“ after snow storms and collisions forced daylong closures on several major highways in the region, Caltrans said in a tweet Thursday evening,
A major snowstorm shut down Interstate 5 at the Grapevine, Angeles Crest Highway and Cajon Pass on Christmas evening due to flooding, fallen trees and multiple stuck vehicles, according to the CHP and Caltrans.
Post-holiday travelers were diverted to highways in San Luis Obispo County after those closures and after Highways 166 and 33 were closed due to collisions.
That all led to a bumper-to-bumper crawl of “substantial traffic” in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties, according to Caltrans and the CHP.
As of Thursday evening, it wasn’t clear when Interstate 5 at the Grapevine will reopen.
A road camera posted the area showed wet roads and heavy snow on the surrounding mountains and center divide, as snow plows worked to clear that stretch of the road.
A tow truck working to clear I-5 found one man dead inside a big rig truck parked along the Grapevine near Lebec on Thursday morning.
The CHP warned travelers early Thursday morning to “expect very heavy traffic” with the Highway 101 detour.
Traffic wasn’t delayed much on the highway then, but it had slowed in Paso Robles by the middle of Thursday morning and in Pismo Beach by late morning.
Around 3 p.m. Thursday, one traveler reported “lines and lines of cars heading south” on Highway 41, as cars and trucks continued turned around and rerouted at the Grapevine.
Several small collisions made the situation in San Luis Obispo County worse. One vehicle reportedly spun out of control and was facing the wrong way on a northbound lane near Avila Beach Drive, according to the CHP.
Southbound traffic was slow throughout most of the county, while northbound travel was delayed around San Luis Obispo, and from Pismo Beach to Nipomo.
Highway 166 closed east of Highway 101 on Thursday afternoon following a series of car crashes, including a three-vehicle collision that injured eight people.
Highway 166 reopened between Santa Maria and Maricopa around 4:30 p.m., with the CHP escorting cars through the area.
With the closures, Highway 46 and Highway 58 were the only ways to travel between the coast and the valley in the region.
This story was originally published December 26, 2019 at 11:44 AM.
