PHOTOS: Mud and Rock Slides Shut Down Highway 128 Near Lake Berryessa

By Al Francis

NAPA VALLEY, CA -- Caltrans crews worked Saturday, Feb. 18 to reopen Highway 128 near the Lake Berryessa dam from two mud and rock slides that had closed all traffic since Friday night.

Heavy equipment was used to clear away mud and large rocks from the roadway closed to all traffic from Napa and Lake Berryessa to Solano County and the Vacaville area. Traffic was stopped at Markley Cove by Caltrans and California Fish & Game officers on the Lake Berryessa side.

Two mudslides near the Lake Berryessa dam shut down the roadway. Caltrans was attempting to open one lane of traffic to get some traffic through and hopefully opening both lanes by late afternoon. However, conditions could change with another round of rain expected Sunday and Monday.

There was lots of extra traffic in the area as hundreds attempted to get to the Lake Berryessa dam to see the dam's spillway being used for the first time in 10 years. While large trucks were hauling away and mud and large rocks nearby hundreds of people were able to reach the dam from the Solano County direction to see the huge concrete vertical spillway that acts like a drain when Lake Berryessa is full. One of the crew members was using a drone to document the mudslides and the spillway known as "The Glory Hole."

Images by Al Francis-NapaSonomaPhotos.com