Traffic chaos for wine country as Highway 101 closes lanes until 2027 — as state plows $29M into road fixes

California drivers are facing yet another transit nightmare as a massive $29.8 million highway overhaul is set to choke traffic on a busy state route for almost a year.

Caltrans officials announced that a heavily trafficked 10-mile stretch of Highway 101 along the Central Coast is being chopped down to just a single land in each direction.

The brutal lane reductions, which hit the Santa Barbara County community of Buellton, are expected to gridlock the popular gateway to Southern California’s iconic wine country until at least 2027.

The highway repairs include shoulder reconstruction, replacement of concrete pavement, overlaying of existing asphalt, ramp reconstruction, drainage repair work, electrical upgrades, and the installation of new guardrails throughout this stretch.

California Highway 101 is undergoing a $29 million reconstruction project. Shutterstock / Tupungato

Aerial view of the California coastline with a highway running alongside the ocean, houses on the beach, and green hills in the background. — An aerial view of California coast line near Carpenteria off Route 101. Shutterstock / Joseph Sohm

The extensive project will also trigger a series of ramp closures, including the northbound Damassa Road off-ramp and the northbound and southbound Santa Rosa Road ramps for three months.

Traffic lanes will be impacted from the area spanning the Nojoqui Creek Bridge to north of Avenue of Flags and Damassa Road. Officials are warning that drivers should expect at least a 10-minute delay when navigating though the work zone.

The work began this month and is expected to continue through March 2027.