It’s been an interesting week for Ted Adams. He lives in the tiny community known as Painted Cave, which is just northeast of Highway 154 in San Marcos Pass.
"I was really shocked to see the size of the landslides...that there are really giant boulders in the middle of the road," said Adams.
The pass got more than 17 inches of rain this week, which created a number of slides on the mountain highway which connects the Santa Barbara area with the Santa Ynez Valley. Highway 154 is completely closed to through traffic as a result of the storm.
Adams says the 250 people in the tiny mountain community have mostly stayed put this week.
"Most people sheltered in place, and hunkered in place," said Adams. "It's been nearly a decade since we've had this kind of rain."
The Highway 154 shutdown is affecting tens of thousands of people every day, especially people who commute between Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley. You can get between the communities on Highway 101, but it can add 20 miles and depending on traffic a half hour to the trip.
"The entire corridor along 154, from State Route 192 in Santa Barbara to the roundabout at 154/246 has been impacted by rockslides, mudslides, and slope failures in multiple locations," said Jim Shivers who is with Caltrans.
Shivers said crews are working hard to reopen Highway 154, but when that will happen is a question mark, especially with more rain in the forecast for this weekend.
Ted Adams has experienced this problem before, in fact, many times before. He’s lived off of the highway in Painted Cave for more than a half century.
He said residents have a workaround that gets them into the Santa Barbara area for work, and supplies, using side roads. Be, he noted these roads have also been hard hit, and said you need a four-wheel drive to travel them safely.
For people who rely on Highway 154 to get to and from work, they will continue to lose at least an hour a day round trip using Highway 101. And, while it’s the off season for tourism, it’s also an issue for those headed to Solvang, the wineries, and the Chumash Casino in the Santa Ynez Valley.
But, Adams points out while the closure is a major hardship for some, we are also getting some badly needed rain.
