OJAI : Road Reopens for Nighttime Traffic
An 11-mile stretch of California 150 between Ojai and the Santa Barbara County line--blocked for 10 days by a massive landslide--has been reopened for nighttime and early-morning traffic.
Both lanes of the highway will be open daily from 5 p.m. until 7 a.m. the following morning, said Russ Snyder, a Caltrans spokesman.
Opening the lanes will allow Ojai and Santa Barbara rush-hour commuters to avoid a lengthy detour around the slide site near Lake Casitas, Snyder said.
But the route will remain closed during daylight hours, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., while workers continue removing soil from the roadway and adjacent hillsides, he said.
Daytime closure will remain in effect until Caltrans maintenance workers have stabilized the hillside next to the highway, Snyder said.
Caltrans workers have already removed about 20,000 cubic yards of soil from the roadway and adjacent hillside, he said.
Heavy rains caused the mudslide on Jan. 15.
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