Caltrans, Ventura County officials to hold virtual meeting about Highway 150

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. — The California Department of Transportation and Ventura County officials will hold a virtual community meeting Monday about Highway 150.

Caltrans along with Ventura County Supervisors Matt LaVere (District 1) and Kelly Long (District 3) will provide an update regarding HWY 150's emergency project, which is currently being done to stabilize and clear a large mudslide that closed the highway north of Santa Paula, during recent powerful February storms.

The virtual community Zoom meeting will be held Monday, March 4th at 5:00 p.m.

In a Facebook post from Ventura County Supervisor LaVere, he's heard from many local residents about the closure of HWY 150.

"My office has been in constant communication with Caltrans about next steps," said LaVere. "We both thought it was important to host a virtual townhall where Caltrans can communicate directly with local residents about all of the work being done to get Highway 150 re-opened for vehicles and pedestrians."

According to Caltrans, they are working on HWY 150 with emergency contractors and are actively exploring temporary options, including a possible pedestrian detour during the highway repair project.

Caltrans are targeting the end of May to open one lane of HWY 150. The anticipated date for Caltrans is, however, subject to change due to weather conditions and/or other possible events beyond their control.

At this time, Caltrans say, no roads are available nearby to serve as a local detour in the rural area, but a detour for motorists is available through the cities of Ventura and Ojai using Highway 126, Highway 101 and Highway 33.

According to Caltrans, geotechnical experts are testing and investigating the mudslide to recommend a plan to remove it as safely as soon as possible.

February Mudslide

The mudslide happened during recent winter storms that saturated the Ventura County region. The mud covered more than 150 feet of the two-lane highway north of Santa Paula at Bridge Road. Caltrans says, before the incident, on average more than 3,200 vehicles a day, used that part of HWY 150.

At the moment, the highway is blocked between Stonegate Road in Santa Paula, south of the mudslide, and Mupu Road at Steckel Park, north of the mudslide. Limited local access is allowed in the closed area, according to Caltrans.

The February storms also caused erosion that undermined a slope on HWY 150, requiring one lane to be closed for emergency repairs. Currently, traffic in both directions must share the single available lane on an alternating basis as directed by a flag crew.

Caltrans says, motorists should allow extra travel time and plan for brief delays on HWY 150 in the Upper Ojai area.

Virtual Community Meeting

The link to the virtual March 4th meeting can be found here. To register for the Zoom meeting, send an email to District1@Ventura.org.

A second community meeting will be held both in-person and virtually, which will be announced within a few days. The location will be in Santa Paula and Spanish translation will be offered.

Caltrans reminds drivers to “Be Work Zone Alert” and “Slow for the Cone Zone.”

To check current road closures anytime go to Caltrans’ QuickMap.