Edhat Staff
Photo: Jim Shivers / Caltrans
By edhat staff
Highway 154 reopened after being closed last week due to the Cave Fire.
Caltrans announced the roadway would open by Monday, but they pulled it off earlier than announced with the roadway officially reopening at 6:00 p.m. Sunday.
Massive guardrail repairs needed to be completed due to flames from the Cave Fire jumping the roadway.
Traffic control is expected to take place Monday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Motorists are expected to reduce speed from Painted Cave to San Antonio Creek Roads as Caltrans engineers assess the hillside.
The Cave Fire is expected to be fully contained by Wednesday this week. Read more about the Cave Fire here.
I read on another thread here that GPS services have stopped routing 101 traffic over 154. Does anyone know if this true? This huge influx in rerouted traffic is, I’m sure, the main reason for all the increased accidents and fatalities. Lowering the speed limit won’t change things, nor will center-line barriers, or anything else. Get the unnecessary GPS-routed traffic off 154 and things will be a lot better. I think that’s pretty much a guarantee.
I’d like to see some hard facts about reasons for fatalities on 154; I have a hunch that it’s going to be mix of things, with “higher car density” not even being on the list. Higher car density doesn’t change the actual reason for accidents (the probability of event X stays the same), it just changes the frequency. The solution for “hiding” 154 is hardly a long term solution, and avoids actually investigating the underlying reasons. So of course an influx of traffic is going to increase collision rates. That’s a obvious and well known to everyone?
Are there really that many fatalities in the first place? Highway 154 isn’t even in the top 15 when it comes to deadly roads in CA (https://www.psblaw.com/deadliest-highway-stretches-california.html). Santa Barbarians love to boast about how 154 is “Blood Alley” but google results show otherwise.