Hwy. 166 damaged by Gifford Fire. When will it reopen?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Gifford Fire damage and evacuations keep Hwy. 166 closed indefinitely
- Caltrans begins guardrail and road repairs; no full reopening timeline set
- Gifford Fire hits 99,232 acres; winds force new SLO County evacuations
Highway 166 has been closed for a week since the Gifford Fire started and will likely remain closed for several more days, according to fire and transit officials.
The roadway remains closed between Highway 101 in Santa Maria and Perkins Road in New Cuyama, and officials have not announced an estimated reopening time. Some residents and workers are being allowed through checkpoints under strict exceptions.
At a Thursday evening community meeting in Sisquoc, near Santa Maria, Lt. Travis Henderson of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said two factors are delaying the reopening: most of the corridor is under an evacuation order and a portion of the roadway has been deemed unsafe to travel by Caltrans because of fire damage, including to guard rails.
Henderson said officials may soon consider allowing residents back into some areas along the highway, which could reopen portions to travel. However, repairs will still be required before the route between Santa Maria and New Cuyama can fully reopen. Caltrans was expected to begin that work Friday, he said.
Santa Maria California Highway Patrol officials said Thursday that the closure was expected to last for several days “due to ongoing fire activity and safety concerns.”
The wildfire had burned 99,232 acres, or about 155 square miles, and was 15 percent contained as of Friday morning. The total firefighting personnel assigned to the incident has increased to 3,431.
Henderson said there is no imminent danger to Highway 101, citing buffer areas between the active fire and the freeway. He added that the route is seeing more large vehicle traffic, including heavy equipment headed to the fire area, and urged drivers to use caution near on-ramps and off-ramps.
Caltrans officials said that starting Saturday, the Highway 101 ramps at Santa Maria Way will be closed from 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. daily for fire crew shift changes and travel from the staging area at the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo Grounds.
Overnight winds exceeding 30 mph pushed the Gifford Fire toward Huasna and Willis Ranch, continuing to threaten parts of Santa Barbara County and prompting new evacuation orders in San Luis Obispo County, fire officials said Friday.
Officials said gusty, shifting wind conditions Thursday caused flames to breach a containment line on the northwest end of the fire, forcing evacuations in new areas of San Luis Obispo County, including the campground at Lopez Lake.
Fire behavior analyst Garrett Hazelton told attendees of the Thursday meeting the chance of the Gifford Fire reaching Santa Maria or San Luis Obispo is very low.
He cited cooler coastal temperatures, a forecast for a deeper marine layer, and irrigated farmland and existing roads and infrastructure as barriers to fire spread. He said onshore winds are also expected to push the fire away from those communities.
“I have a high degree of confidence that Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo proper are going to be pretty much void of it,” Hazelton said. Smoke and ash, however, will continue to affect the region and conditions are being monitored by the Air Pollution Control District and Environmental Protection Agency.
A recording of Thursday’s meeting can be found here.
Another community meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Branch Elementary School, 970 School Road in Arroyo Grande, to provide updates on the fire and answer questions from the public.
This story was originally published August 8, 2025 at 3:03 PM with the headline "Hwy. 166 damaged by Gifford Fire. When will it reopen?."
