Caltrans warns Hwy 101 traffic could get bad as snow, ice cause delays across California

If you’re one of the thousands of people expected to travel this holiday, make sure to plan ahead and plan for numerous delays.

Thanks to a rare storm, many of California’s most oft-traversed roadways are experiencing a number of weather-related incidents and traffic is likely to back up in many of these areas.

Caltrans District 5, which encompasses San Luis Obispo County, warned that drivers should expect “heavy holiday traffic” along Highway 101 through the Central Coast on Thursday, since the highway is the suggested detour for a number of other major highway closures.

Here is a roundup of some of the closures and things to watch out for:

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

Ice on Highway 101 in Santa Barbara

Snow fell in the mountains above Santa Barbara on Thanksgiving morning, but lower down, the cool temperatures translated into ice on the road.

CHP Santa Barbara is warning drivers that there are several vehicle accidents in the area as of 10 a.m. due to ice on the roadway and hail on both sides of Highway 101.

Highway 154 above Santa Barbara is also still closed due to the Cave Fire.

I-5 Southbound opened at Grapevine

Interstate 5 closed at Parker Road and Grapevine due to snow, Caltrans District 7 tweeted Thursday morning.

The suggested detour for the interstate is Highway 101, Caltrans said, since Highway 14, 2, and 33 will also all likely be impacted by snow.

At 1:30 p.m., Caltrans tweeted that CHP is escorting traffic on southbound Interstate 5 at Grapevine over the pass. Northbound remains closed.

Hwy 33 closed at Hwy 166

A large portion of Highway 33 has been closed since 6 am. Thursday morning, according to Caltrans’ online Quick Map.

According to Caltrans, the road is closed between Highway 166 outside of New Cuyama south toward mile marker 19 outside of Wheeler Springs.

It is unclear why the roadway is closed.

Hwy 58 outside Bakersfield closed for snow

CHP Bakersfield tweeted that Highway 58 heading toward Tehachapi is closed for snow. CHP says the closure is at Towerline Road.

CHP Bakersfield also noted that there is snow on Hwy 166 at Grocer Grade west of Maricopa, but that the highway remains open as of 9:30 a.m.

This story was originally published November 28, 2019 at 10:46 AM.

Kaytlyn Leslie

The Tribune

805-781-7928 (voicemails only)

Kaytlyn Leslie writes about business and development for The San Luis Obispo Tribune. Hailing from Nipomo, she also covers city governments and happenings in San Luis Obispo. She joined The Tribune in 2013 after graduating from Cal Poly with her journalism degree.