Central Coast highway closed for tension cracks gets partial reopening date. Here’s when

Residents who rely on Highway 154 will see some relief as officials plan to partially reopen the roadway this week.

Caltrans announced that it will install a reversible traffic signal allowing one-way traffic in the emergency repair area between San Antonio Creek Road and Painted Cave Road. That’s on the Santa Barbara side of the highway, which has been closed to vehicles since June 22.

The agency is planning to partially reopen with the traffic signal on Thursday.

Highway 154 was closed to through traffic after a construction crew found tension cracks in part of the road. The crews were doing emergency construction in the area to address a slip-out that occurred due to winter storms.

Genelle Padilla, a spokesperson for Caltrans District 5, confirmed that construction crews are still drilling in the area as of Tuesday.

“We did the vertical drilling and now we moving to the next stage, the horizontal drilling,” Padilla told Noozhawk.

Since the highway was closed, crews have been inserting dowels into the road at a depth of 40 feet. The dowels are meant to stabilize the highway and prevent further cracking.

Padilla stated that the crews are making good progress, but they are making sure no additional problems occur during the work.

Once the drilling is complete, Caltrans will monitor the area to check that the road is holding, and that there is no sub-surface movement. Then they’ll decide when the highway can fully reopen.

What detours are available?

Even as Highway 154 is set to partially reopen, Padilla recommended that travelers use detours if possible: Highway 101 or Highway 246.

Despite the new signal, there is still a chance of delays on Highway 154 – which could be made worse by additional traffic.

With the one-way traffic signal, through traffic will be allowed again between Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley.

Padilla advised drivers to check Caltrans’ QuickMap for road closure and traffic updates.

“It’s a very easy way before you head out to check if there is a detour or heavy delays in the area,” Padilla said.

“Our office is happy to hear about positive progress for repairing and reopening state route 154,” Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann’s office said in response to the partial reopening news Tuesday.

“We want to thank Caltrans and its contractors for working around the clock to get to this point. But we know that businesses along 154 at Lake Cachuma and elsewhere along the 154 corridor are hurting for business,” she said.

Destinations along Highway 154 like Cold Spring Tavern and Lake Cachuma remained open during the closure and can be accessed from the Santa Ynez Valley side.

With the traffic signal in place, the public will be able to reach those destinations from the Santa Barbara side again, Hartmann’s office noted.

— Noozhawk staff writer Daniel Green can be reached at dgreen@noozhawk.com.