Heads up, commuters: Traffic on Hwy. 101 is backed up all around SLO County. Here’s why
Traffic on Highway 101 slowed to a crawl in multiple locations in San Luis Obispo County during inclement weather conditions Friday.
The closure of Interstate 5 at the Tejon Pass — combined with dangerous weather — created congestion on other high-traffic roads, the California Highway Patrol said Friday afternoon.
The closure of the Grapevine and poor weather appeared to exacerbate the normal Friday afternoon rush, CHP said, pushing traffic onto Highway 101 and creating backups from San Luis Obispo to as far south as Santa Maria.
Traffic in the North County was backed up between Atascadero and Paso Robles, particularly headed southbound and likely due to travelers using Highway 46 East as a detour to and from Interstate 5.
In Templeton, a collision between two vehicles on the northbound Highway 101 off-ramp at Las Tablas Road also slowed traffic in both directions, CHP said.
Both vehicles were being removed from the site of the crash, and no one was injured, CHP said.
In San Luis Obispo, traffic backed up in both directions, especially leading south toward the Five Cities, which is always slow during the evening commute.
This story was originally published February 24, 2023 at 4:24 PM.
