As drivers cross the U.S.-Mexico border via a bridge near El Paso, Texas, signs surround them. Some are there to provide direction. Others offer a greeting: “Welcome to Mexico.” But one of the largest signs — a towering 26 feet by 72 feet — has little to do with border logistics. Instead, it’s a painting by 23-year-old Mexican artist Paloma…
Traffic is flowing again along a stretch of Highway 101 that was closed since a Jan. 9 storm that unleashed mud and debris flows in the Santa Barbara County community of Montecito.
Crews worked for nearly two weeks to clear a thick layer of mud from the freeway, a vital connection for coastal communities in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Workers cleared drainage areas, stabilized embankments and worked on guardrail and sign repairs. They also cleaned and swept the highway.
Only the off-ramps in the area remained closed Sunday. The California Department of Transportation urged drivers to use extra caution and watch out for traffic.
A stretch of Highway 101 covered in mud and debris following a Jan. 9, 2018 storm is pictured after the mudflow and on Friday Jan. 19, 2018.
Rene Luna/KNBC
A stretch of the 101 Freeway remained closed Monday, Jan. 16, 2018, following a powerful winter storm a week prior. Officials hope to have the freeway reopened by Monday, Jan. 22.
Khallid Shabazz
A car is pictured Friday Jan. 12, 2018 in mud on Highway 101 in Santa Barbara County.
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Workers drop a box that will house pumps in a flooded section of Highway 101 on January 11, 2018 in Montecito, California.
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A worker monitors a crane as he stands on an overpass above a flooded section of Highway 101 on January 11, 2018 in Montecito, California.
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A car is submerged in muddy water in a flooded section of Highway 101 car on January 11, 2018 in Montecito, California.
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A Cal Fire firefighter looks at a flooded section of Highway 101 after a mudslide on January 10, 2018 in Montecito, California.
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A car is submerged water in a flooded section of Highway 101 on January 11, 2018 in Montecito, California.
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A car sits in mud and debris on a flooded section of Highway 101 after a mudslide on January 10, 2018 in Montecito, California.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Abandoned vehicles sit on a flooded section of Highway 101 following a mudslide on January 10, 2018 in Montecito, California.
AP
A mud-covered sign over the closed Highway 101 is seen at an overpass Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018, in Montecito, Calif.
KNBC-TV
A view of Highway 101 Friday Jan. 19, 2018 more than a week after it was covered in mud and debris due to a winter storm.
KNBC-TV
A view of Highway 101 Friday Jan. 19, 2018 more than a week after it was covered in mud and debris due to a winter storm.
Joel Cooke/NBC4
A sign indicates that Highway 101 is open Monday Jan. 22, 2018.
Toni Guinyard/KNBC-TV
A view of Highway 101 in Montecito Monday Jan. 22, 2018.
Toni Guinyard/KNBC-TV
A flag is draped on a railing over Highway 101 in Montecito Monday Jan. 22, 2018.
