UPDATE (11:42 p.m.)– Highway 154 is opened from Santa Barbara to 10 miles west of Highway 154 and Paradise Rd. according to the Caltrans website.
It is unknown when the rest of the highway will reopen.
Caltrans says it’s making good progress on a clogged drainage culvert beneath Highway 154 near Lake Cachuma but for now, the highway remains closed.
The closure extends from the junction with Highway 246 near Santa Ynez to Paradise Rd.
A weekend rainstorm clogged the culvert with mud and debris, causing water to flow over the highway. Caltrans says the opening of the culvert is about 40 feet below the water’s surface and they’re using cameras to locate its opening. Pumps are being used to remove the water.
There is no estimate for when the highway will be reopened. Highway 101 is a detour.
To the north in Big Sur, Caltrans says the Paul’s Slide area of Highway 1 will reopen at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. It’s been closed since Friday, Feb. 1, due to stormy weather.
While the Mud Creek area, which was also closed last Friday, reopened to traffic on Tuesday, Caltrans said crews had more work to do removing heavy mud and boulders in the Paul’s Slide area.
