Santa Paula resident Monica Castanon doesn’t mind commuting by car, but after last week’s deadly Montecito flooding and debris flows closed Highway 101 indefinitely, the Santa Barbara Unified School District employee is thankful a temporary bus shuttle can get her to work.
Castanon, a special education paraeducator, was among hundreds of “critical” workers loaded onto a fleet of buses before sunrise Tuesday in Ventura and escorted by California Highway Patrol vehicles around the six-lane highway shutdown in Montecito.
The specific route has not been disclosed, but it runs through the closed disaster area.
The roadway has been closed in both directions since last week, and Caltrans announced Monday that Highway 101 would not reopen for at least another week due to repairs and clean-up of water, mud and debris.
“This is my first day back to work since the storm,” said Castanon, who has worked at SBUSD for a year. “It was still dark when we were driving, but the exit (near Olive Mill Road) was completely blocked. The mud and debris were up to the freeway.”
CalFire public information officer Blanca Mercado said 17 buses are being utilized to carry more than 400 workers around the closure daily.
Mercado stressed the transportation is for “critical” personnel, such as firefighters, police officers, medical workers, law enforcement, K-12 educators and others.
Local school districts, the Ventura County Transportation Commission, and MTD supplied vehicles.
Mercado said the buses combine capacity at 864 people.
“The service is to continue Monday through Friday until the 101 is open,” she said Tuesday afternoon.
The bus route from Ventura is picking workers from Carpinteria and unloading them in Santa Barbara.
A similar morning route is available southbound, and in the evenings around 6 p.m. in both directions.
Highway 101 carries 100,000 vehicles through the Central Coast daily, according to Tim Gubbins, director of Caltrans District 5.
“The mudslide affect is unprecedented,” Gubbins said Tuesday evening at a community meeting. “We understand the importance of the 101. It’s a top priority.”
Diana Zapata-Kotowski, human resources director at Carpinteria Unified School District, arrived at Santa Barbara’s La Cumbre Plaza parking lot shortly before 6:30 a.m. Tuesday and took the southbound bus trip.
“This is a more viable alternative — it’s a great resource, and I love the energy of groups gathering,” Zapata-Kotowski said.
About 65 Carpinteria Unified employees were passengers aboard the buses, Zapata-Kotowski said.
“It’s our attempt to try to normalize the lives of the children and get back to teaching,” the Goleta resident said. “Our hearts go out to all of the people who have been touched — first the Thomas Fire and then the mudslide. The outpouring of support has been amazing.”
On Tuesday, the Santa Barbara Teachers Association was also at the Santa Barbara location to offer commuters hot coffee and snacks.
Commuters and others traveling between Santa Barbara and Ventura can take the Amtrak passenger trains or ferry boats as an alternative, or the long driving detour using I-5.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
