Northbound Highway 101 Slow Lane Closed in Montecito

[Update: Dec. 22, 2023, 8:43 a.m.] The downed tree and power line along the 192 in Carpinteria were removed and repaired by around 8 a.m. on Friday, Caltrans updated at the District 5 Twitter/X feed. The underpass at Mission Street reopened around 7 a.m., and the Laguna, Castillo, and Garden street ramps reopened on Thursday. The highway through Montecito is still down to one lane; Caltrans expects to be repairing the big pothole until Friday evening. Traffic appears to be backed up to Padaro Lane on Caltrans’ QuickMap.

[Original Story] The northbound 101 highway through Montecito just beyond the Olive Mill Road overpass developed runoff from above, undermining large pothole cracks in the asphalt and causing the closure of the slow lane since Wednesday afternoon. As well, the deluge of rain on Thursday closed the ramps to Garden and Mission streets in Santa Barbara.

Caltrans reports the rain infiltrating the pavement is preventing a patch from sealing as water continues to seep from below. The lane is likely to remain closed until Friday evening. The “asphalt coming apart” was first reported to CHP around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, turning into a “very large pothole in slow lane” a few minutes later. The pothole continues to expand, though Caltrans crews are attempting to fill it in when possible. Traffic was diverted onto Sheffield when the morning’s downpour closed both lanes for a few minutes.

In Santa Barbara, runoff ponding at the Castillo, Garden, and Mission street underpasses trapped a few cars and closed the ramps off the southbound highway until the water could drain. Castillo reopened recently, but Caltrans could provide no estimated time of reopening for Garden or Mission.

In Carpinteria, a downed pine tree on Highway 192 just west of Cravens Lane has resulted in a full closure in both directions. As of 6:07 p.m. on Thursday, Caltrans said that there was no estimated time for reopening the lanes.

Northbound Highway 101 Slow Lane Closed in Montecito