SANTA PAULA : Road Closed by Slide May Reopen Soon
A road that was closed after a rockslide in September could reopen by Wednesday, Ventura County officials said.
The Board of Supervisors voted this week to extend a state of local emergency declared days after South Mountain Road near Santa Paula was covered with tons of dirt and debris during the slide.
Scores of residents east of the slide have been forced to take a 30-minute detour through Fillmore to reach Santa Paula while the roadway has been blocked. The county last month awarded Banner Construction of Goleta a $131,905 contract to perform the cleanup.
County officials had applied for reimbursement for the cleanup from the Federal Highway Administration, contending the Sept. 8 slide was triggered by an aftershock to the Jan. 17 earthquake. The agency rejected that request, saying federal assistance is offered only for damage directly related to the quake.
But Art Goulet, the county’s public works director, said Tuesday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had agreed to fund the work.
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