Traffic update: Highways open, CHP escorting cars through Grapevine, Highway 58
Two major highways reopened to traffic Friday morning following heavy winter storms, though traffic remained slow as California Highway Patrol officers escorted motorists.
The CHP began escorting traffic on both directions of Interstate 5 over the Grapevine around 11 a.m. Friday. Traffic on both directions of Highway 58, which serves as the travel route from the San Joaquin Valley to Las Vegas, also reopened with CHP escorts.
Long delays were expected for drivers going through Tehachapi, according to CalTrans and some travelers on Twitter were waiting for escorts and reporting traffic at a standstill as of 11:30 a.m.
Both highways had been closed as of early Friday morning. The effects of the closures could be felt out to the Central Coast, where traffic had been rerouted.
Traffic on Highway 101 was heavier than usual on Friday with several backups in northbound lanes in sections of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Northbound traffic was a bumper-to-bumper crawl for post-holiday travelers from Ventura to Santa Barbara and there was heavy traffic between Santa Maria and Nipomo, and from Arroyo Grande to Pismo Beach.
This story was originally published December 27, 2019 at 12:00 PM.