Contractor with Caltrans removes debris, rocks and mud left by storm
Traffic flows down State Route 154 Thursday. The highway, which connects Santa Barbara with Santa Ynez, reopened Wednesday night after a closure caused by the Jan. 9-10 storm.
State Route 154 — a highway that connects Santa Barbara with Santa Ynez — officially reopened at 5 p.m. Wednesday, more than a week after the storm that caused its closure.
Work was done to remove debris and mud from the highway in various locations. This included large rocks that fell onto the roadway.
“We also performed work on our rock netting facilities to ensure they could withstand future rockfall,” Jim Shivers, public information officer for Caltrans District 5, told the News-Press. The work included some earthwork.
“The full closures are put in place to ensure the safety of all travelers,” Mr. Shivers said. “It also allows us to perform our work more quickly, leading to a shorter closure period.
“The public should adhere to all posted traffic safety signs, which relate to flooded conditions as these areas should not be entered,” Mr. Shivers said.
The storm that slammed Santa Barbara County on Jan. 9 and 10 left debris and mud on State Route 154,
Caltrans’ budget for “our 154 and (State Route) 246 emergency projects is $1.5 million. The contractor is CalPortland Construction,” said Mr. Shivers. (State Route 246 intersects with State Route 154 at Santa Ynez.)
Mr. Shivers added that there is $6 million in emergency contracts for all of Santa Barbara County.
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
