Storm repairs to close PCH north of Malibu overnight indefinitely
A six-mile stretch of Pacific Coast Highway north of Malibu will be closed indefinitely overnight because of storm damage that in stretches sheared off the roadway, officials said.
Strong winds, high surf and heavy rains drenched Southern California last week, causing flooding and mudslides in several areas. The Malibu area didn’t face just wind and rain, but also waves that crashed onto PCH, at times reaching across the three-lane road.
The battering caused parts of the southbound lanes to collapse along the shoulder between mile markers 4.8 and 5.2. Chunks of pavement broke off onto the beach as waves and rain eroded the ground beneath the highway.
The nightly shutdown of the scenic route began Wednesday as Caltrans crews started to install K-rails along the southbound lanes and stabilize portions of the road eroded by high surf.
During powerful winter storms, the swells at Belmont Shore in Long Beach can roar to life with all the force you’d find in fabled extreme sports hot spots like Maui’s North Shore. The mix of wind and waves creates epic conditions for kitesurfing.
The highway will be closed at 6 p.m. nightly and reopen around 7 a.m. the next day.
Caltrans officials are also concerned about another storm approaching Southern California that could cause further road damage.
The National Weather Service expects Los Angeles County to get another soaking this weekend, starting with light rain Saturday night and growing heavier Sunday night and Monday. Rain could continue until Wednesday morning, according to the service.
It’s still unclear how strong the approaching storm may be, said Ryan Kittell a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
Current forecasts predict that most of L.A. County will record between 2 and 4 inches of rain, he said.
Although the storm is expected to bring much less rain than last week’s system, Kittell warned that hillsides are still soaked, meaning landslides and debris flows are still very possible with just a little additional rain.
“It’s going to take less rain than usual to produce additional mudslides and flooding just because of how wet and saturated some areas are,” he said. “If you are in vulnerable areas that had mudslides or rock slides, just be prepared for more.”
NASA satellite images the Sierras and Southern California mountains before and after the recent storms which helped to replenish a depleted snowpack.
Caltrans announced it would close PCH nightly until further notice just north of Malibu, between Sycamore Canyon Road and Las Posas Road in Ventura County.
A Caltrans inspector will assess progress daily to determine when to open the road.
According to Caltrans, about 12,500 to 13,400 commuters drive through the scenic route that will be closed.
“The immediate priority is to make the roadway safe for motorists and then work can begin on shoulder restoration,” the agency said in a statement. “The duration is undetermined.”
On Thursday, the road was opened to traffic by 6:43 a.m., said Marc Bischoff, spokesperson for Caltrans.
Because of the repair work and damage, crews will temporarily shift lanes closer to the inland side of the road to keep traffic flowing in both directions during the day.
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