A mudslide buckled Highway 101 about four miles north of Garberville in Humboldt County. Click to enlarge. Photo by Cynthia Elkins, KMUD News

Highway 101 about four miles north of Garberville in Humboldt County will be closed for at least two or three days after a massive mudslide Wednesday morning blocked the road and buckled the pavement.

The slide occurred at 9:20 a.m. and covered all four lanes of the highway, Caltrans spokesman Phil Frisbie Jr. said. The slide, which Wednesday afternoon was still moving, is 600 feet wide and extends 1,500 feet above the road.

“We are doing everything we can to get Route 101 reopened as quickly as possible,” Caltrans District 1 Director Charlie Fielder said.

Even once the road is reopened, Caltrans expects only part of the highway to be open with traffic delays likely because of one-way traffic control.

The CHP reported earlier that Highway 101 might not fully reopen for a couple of weeks.

The CHP said it was recommending drivers reach Eureka by taking Highway 20 to Williams in the Central Valley, then north on I-5 to Highway 299 in Redding, then west to Eureka. That detour will add several hours to the trip. The CHP also said there are back roads around the slide area but it is not recommending them.

Simon Frech of KMUD radio in Redway said area residents were just starting on how to figure out to deal with the slide. He noted the local high school, South Fork High, is in Miranda to the north of the slide but many of the students live south of the slide.

More photos of the slide are available at kmud.org by clicking here.

Aerial view of slide on Highway 101 north of Garberville. Click to enlarge. Photo by Felix Omai of KMUD radio

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