Northbound Highway 17 had Santa Cruz County drivers taking detours

SCOTTS VALLEY, CALIF. (KION-TV)- Drivers in the Santa Cruz mountains had to take different routes Friday.

CHP closed off the north section of Highway 17 on all ends of the roads. Officer Israel Murillo explained what drivers would run into if they kept going north earlier.

“Right now we have voltage lines there,” Murillo said. “There are the northbound lanes, 17. So obviously safety's priority. We're not going to allow any traffic to go up that way.”

Some drivers like Marty Dolciamore are being patient even though his wife is waiting for them at the San Jose airport. He's used to driving through snow though.

“We own a house up in Tahoe and so we're used to snow and we're used to driving conditions in snow,” Dolciamore said. “I've driven Echo Summit on Highway 50 in a driving blizzard.”

But what about the conditions here in Santa Cruz?

“So it's a little odd to me what's going on,” Dolciamore said. “But I'm pro-law enforcement, so whatever they call, I abide by it and I respect them.”

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office hopes people can cooperate like Dolciamore. It makes things tough on them when warnings are given and drivers don’t listen according to Public Information Officer Ashley Keehn.

“Our emergency crews can continue to respond to other emergencies and don't end up in a situation where resources are being diverted to rescue people from, you know, being trapped in the snow or from downed trees and things like that,” Keehn said.

The county told KION that they’re doing what they can to help support fire and safety personnel who are dealing with drivers not familiar with driving on snowy and icy roads.

Northbound Highway 17 was open after serval hours of closure.