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As authorities continue to search for those missing in the deadly Montecito mudslide disaster, officials announced that U.S. 101 would remain closed indefinitely.

This undated photo shows mud, water and debris clog the 101 Freeway at the Olive Mill Road overpass in Montecito. (Credit: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
This undated photo shows mud, water and debris clog the 101 Freeway at the Olive Mill Road overpass in Montecito. (Credit: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

The 101, a major north-south artery that carries 100,000 vehicles through the Central Coast each day, was expected to open Monday, but officials said cleaning up an approximately two-mile stretch of the freeway was proving more difficult than imagined.

“It’s really an overwhelming situation and we don’t want to give an estimate that isn’t accurate,” CalTrans spokesman Colin Jones said.

CalTrans crews, aided by private contractors and the Army Corps of Engineers, have been working around the clock on the approximately two-mile stretch of the freeway near Montecito. Crews have removed most of the vehicles abandoned in the storm, including a number of tractor trailers, but a significant amount of debris and mud remains.

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