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Central Coast highway reopens after lengthy closure due to flooding, mudslides

Highway 154 has been closed for more than a week as Caltrans District 5 crews cleared the roadway and assessed storm damage to the roadway. The highway was reopened between Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023.
Highway 154 has been closed for more than a week as Caltrans District 5 crews cleared the roadway and assessed storm damage to the roadway. The highway was reopened between Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023.

Caltrans reopened Highway 154 at 5 p.m. Wednesday after a long storm-related closure.

The road that connects the Santa Ynez Valley to Santa Barbara has been closed since Jan. 9 following a rain storm that caused flooding, mud and rock slides, and debris flows.

The highway was shut down as Caltrans crews cleared rockfalls and mudslides from the roadway, fixed drainage, and did slope assessments for safety, Caltrans District 5 spokeswoman Alexa Bertola told Noozhawk on Tuesday.

The highway is fully reopened between Highway 192 in Santa Barbara and Highway 246 at the roundabout near Santa Ynez.

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