Author Topic: Pacific Coast Section 5 flooding. Jan.2023  (Read 5952 times)

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Offline dcblue08

Pacific Coast Section 5 flooding. Jan.2023
« on: January 10, 2023, 02:01:50 pm »
Hello all,
I have a solo trip to ride all of section 5 from Santa Barbara to the Mexican border next week and I am stressing about possible washouts of the route, road closures etc.
Can anyone from the area let me know how the route is looking so I can decide whether to even attempt the trip?
« Last Edit: January 11, 2023, 10:52:05 am by CMajernik »

Offline CMajernik

Re: Pacific Coast Section 5 flooding
« Reply #1 on: January 10, 2023, 06:10:12 pm »
My suggestion is to look at weather.com for several of the cities (Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, San Diego) you'll ride through to see what percentage of rain is predicted over the next 10 days. And pay attention to what's happening over the next 3-4 days since more rain is predicted which could cause slides, etc. You can always google the counties which usually have road condition reports and closures.
Carla Majernik
Routes and Mapping Program Director

Adventure Cycling Association
Inspiring people of all ages to travel by bicycle.
800/755-2453, 406/721-1776 x218, 406/721-8754 fax
www.adventurecycling.org

Follow Routes & Mapping on Twitter: @acaroutes

Offline UncaBuddha

Re: Pacific Coast Section 5 flooding. Jan.2023
« Reply #2 on: January 11, 2023, 11:08:16 am »
Last night I was looking at road closures since I have relatives in Solvang. I heard the "pass road", 127, is closed due to a rock slide. And 101 was closed from the Santa Ynez valley all the way to Goleta. Hwy 101 will probably be opened first I would think but I don't know if that is your route.

Offline winniehs

Re: Pacific Coast Section 5 flooding. Jan.2023
« Reply #3 on: January 11, 2023, 07:04:41 pm »
Honestly? I would postpone the trip. I live in the San Francisco bay area. We've been hit hard, but from what I am seeing, the southern part of the state is getting hit even harder. The storms are not over. I have managed to get my bike out about once a week since this started, and even that is not ideal. Debris in the roadways, local flooding, power outages, huge new potholes, cars negotiating unfamiliar hazards, plenty of wild winds, just not good cycling conditions. We hear every day of a new pothole that is causing cars to lose control or have flats (10 flats in a very short time on a major freeway on Monday). Even areas with ample shoulders are pretty much obscured by debris. Lots of trees have fallen, and huge numbers of small branches and leaves have come down. Road services can't get to much besides the truly critical problems just now. I have lived here my whole life (71 years) & have never seen anything quite like this.

Oh, and another detail: I often use Google maps to decide on a local route - car or bike. It has not been able to keep up with road closures, so even if it shows a road is open, it may be closed.

Current predictions are for a break in the weather beginning the 18th. Maybe you could start then, or a few days after? things will probably stabilize reasonably quickly once we stop having yet another storm rush in and undo all the highway guys' work.

Offline Anonymous

Re: Pacific Coast Section 5 flooding. Jan.2023
« Reply #4 on: January 11, 2023, 07:17:51 pm »
You can check for road status on the Caltrans website, https://roads.dot.ca.gov/ , and input the route number (i.e., 101, 1, etc.). You will get the most current official status of the route available.

Currently, for US101:
[IN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA]
NO TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS ARE REPORTED FOR THIS AREA.

for CA1:
[IN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA]
NO TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS ARE REPORTED FOR THIS AREA.

I would select QuickMap. It's the easiest way to see your route, and it shows traffic cameras, too.

Offline dcblue08

Re: Pacific Coast Section 5 flooding. Jan.2023
« Reply #5 on: January 23, 2023, 12:09:18 am »
For everyone who is interested, I finished the ride.  I has trouble on the 15th with a road that was blocked with water.  I had to walk up and embankment to railroad tracks and walk there for about 200 yards.  Then on 19th, just before the Mexican border, there was another blocked road about 3 miles from the goal.  Another cyclist lead me around the route to another border crossing so I got there in another way.  I had no rain during the days I was riding.  The trip was great.  Thanks for all the suggestions.