Highway 154 to Reopen This Afternoon

Highway 154 is back open after debris blocked a culvert in early February.

North- and southbound travelers through Santa Barbara will be able to use State Route 154 again, which will reopen by 2 p.m. Friday. Caltrans has completed unblocking a culvert near Lake Cachuma that was filled in during a storm in early February. An associated embankment has been restored and the damaged pavement repaired. One-way traffic controls may be in place until Caltrans has completed all work at the spot, which is part of the Whittier Fire burn scar from 2017. The road has reopened a couple weeks ahead of the last reported timetable. CalPortland Construction of Santa Maria was the contractor on the $2.2 million project.