SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – In this Caltrans News Flash, the scene is the US Highway 101 Overcrossing at Olive Mill Road in Montecito where a large mudslide occurred in January which created flooding and shut down the highway for 12 days.

US Highway 101 is a major artery which links Ventura County to the south and San Luis Obispo County to the north, and its closure created severe impacts for motorists who had to endure lengthy detours.

This incident resulted in a one-quarter mile section of US Highway 101 resting under 12 feet of water.

Caltrans had the task along with the contractor, Granite Construction, to remove the water. When all of the water was removed from the highway, work began to re-install or repair guardrail, perform repairs on nearby slopes and embankments, clear major drainage facilities, replace the striping and fix minor damage to the concrete pavement

Caltrans was able to remove 105,000 cubic yards of material from the highway with 40 pieces of equipment and 1,500 trucks.

There were 13,000 individual truck trips to and from this location. All of this activity took place seven days a week/24 hours a day.

At the peak of operation, excavators were filling four large trucks with debris every three minutes.

The reopening of this highway restored a vital link from Southern California to the Central Coast and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Approximately 90,000 vehicles travel through this corridor each day. Caltrans worked cooperatively with the various emergency responders throughout this incident and is proud of everyone’s contribution to the welfare of the citizens of Santa Barbara County.