Another Long Term Traffic Problem On The NB 101 Between Ventura And Carpinteria

Friday September 22, 2023

     Update--On Friday morning when traffic started backing up on the northbound 101 in downtown Ventura because the left lane had been shut down, it appeared from their webpage that the CHP, Caltrans, and definitely the public, had no idea why.

     Finally, Caltrans put out a notice saying the left lane of NB 101 near California Street in downtown Ventura was being closed until next spring to fix a broken or clogged pipeline that was flooding the left lane and center divider on a regular basis.

     That means the motorists will only have the middle and right lanes for what could be the next eight months or so.

     This is happening as drivers have already spent the past several months dealing with daily traffic jams due to the unrelated Caltrans pavement rehab project north of Ventura that also reduced traffic to just two lanes between Faria Beach and Mussel Shoals, a project that will also last until next year.

     This means that most days, especially weekday mornings, drivers using the NB 101 between Ventura and Carpinteria can expect to hit two separate traffic jams one in downtown Ventura and the other a few miles north of Ventura.

     And that will be on a good day.

     Any crashes or problems due to bad weather will make things even worse.

     You can also expect surface and side streets to experience traffic issues and commuters try desperately to find a way around the back-up.