Mudslide closure on Topanga Canyon Boulevard could last days

An early morning mudslide triggered the closure of Topanga Canyon Boulevard that could last through the weekend.

The California Highway Patrol received a call around 1:45 a.m. Thursday about the mudslide, said CHP Officer Dion Conley. Topanga Canyon Boulevard was to be shut down in both directions from Pacific Coast Highway to Grand View Drive.

Caltrans workers were setting up closures so no one else would get stuck in the mud, Conley said.

“Because of the fires, the rain saturated the soil, and the soil slid down the hill,” Conley said. “Luckily, I don’t believe anyone was hurt.”

Michael Dipsia, Caltrans senior construction engineer, said geotechnical engineers were assessing the situation. They are starting cleanup, which could take a few days.

“There’s rain coming Friday into Saturday. We will try to clean up the best we can,” Dipsia said. “I don’t think the roadway will be open til perhaps after the rain of this weekend — a good four to five days.”

Overnight, the Santa Monica Mountains area received between half an inch and three-quarters of an inch of rain, said Andrew Rorke, a senior forecaster with the National Weather Service.

Thursday is looking to be dry, he said: “We’re going to see some sunshine.”

Another weather system is moving in late Thursday. There will be a long period of light to occasionally moderate rain from late Friday morning into early Saturday, Rorke said.

“It looks like we’re going to be dry for most of Saturday and Sunday,” Rorke said. “So the marathon should go off without any rain.” The L.A. Marathon begins Sunday morning at Dodger Stadium.

Times staff photographer Al Seib contributed to this report.

brittny.mejia@latimes.com

Twitter: @Brittny_Mejia

UPDATES:

11:30 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from a Caltrans engineer.

7:35 a.m.: This article was updated with details on the length of the closure.

This article was originally published at 6:10 a.m.