Topanga Has Its Boulevard Back : Roads: Residents celebrate at a ceremony that marks the reopening of the flood-damaged route, the sole artery to the community.

Ceremoniously ending nearly three weeks of frustration, Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky triumphantly held up a muddied orange traffic cone before a group of liberated motorists Sunday to mark the reopening of Topanga Canyon Boulevard. It was a comic metaphor for the 18 days that tested--and often broke--the patience of many commuters here.

“This is our symbol of the opening of Topanga,” Yaroslavsky joked, speaking to a group of 50 residents whom he thanked for their tolerance in the weeks since recent storms turned the area into a driving nightmare.

Topanga Canyon Boulevard--the sole artery into and out of this community--had been closed to all traffic from Pacific Coast Highway north to Grand View Drive after flooding damaged five sections of the highway. Construction began Jan. 17 and ended Friday.

Yaroslavsky, flanked by Topanga community leaders, lauded the speedy work of Caltrans, the California Highway Patrol and private contractors--whose cooperation expedited the project. He also praised Gov. Pete Wilson for the state’s quick response in declaring the region a disaster area.

The repairs forced morning commuters--who normally use Pacific Coast Highway on their way to Downtown Los Angeles--to head through the San Fernando Valley via the bumper-to-bumper Ventura Freeway. Those heading to the Westside were left to tackle winding Tuna Canyon Road.

Use of Topanga by residents was limited to the morning between 5 and 7:30 and in the evening between 3:30 and 9. A minute late was too late, residents said. CHP officers monitored the area, checking licenses and allowing only residents into the area during the designated access periods.

Yaroslavsky noted that even his license was checked as he toured the area to assess the damage.

Friday, this strict curfew finally ended as construction crews packed up sooner than expected.

“To you who live here I want to thank you for your understanding. . . . That’s how this happened in three weeks,” Yaroslavsky told residents. Without their cooperation, the repairs could have taken months, he said.

Dale Robinette, president of the Topanga Town Council, echoed the sentiments of Yaroslavsky, recalling treacherous conditions when construction workers were still at work. “I came up the hill at times when there was a downpour and I could hardly see . . . and there they were shoveling and waving hello,” Robinette said.

Caltrans and two private contractors worked round-the-clock, extending eight-hour shifts to 12 hours in order to reopen the road. “We had a crew working on this particular location seven days a week and 24 hours a day. . . . There was a good amount of overtime,” said Dave Servaes, Caltrans regional manager for maintenance. At one time, there was a team of close to 100 workers repairing the road, Servaes said.

Residents were impressed by how quickly construction crews completed the repairs, they said, and all hoped that nature would be gentler in the future.

“I had to travel 95% of the circumference of a circle,” said Steven Popper, 41. “My 20-minute commute became two hours.”

Mike Mullen, a computer consultant who works mostly in West Los Angeles, was also forced to take a roundabout route to reach his clients. “I found out I should have more San Fernando Valley and Malibu clients than all Beverly Hills clients,” said the five-year resident of Topanga.