Reopening of PCH Stretch Delayed Until Friday at the Earliest
The weekend rain is the reason it will not reopen Monday at 6 p.m. as previously expected.
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Dispatchers from the California Highway Patrol's Ventura County office said Monday morning that the stretch of Pacific Coast Highway just west of Malibu's city limits will remain closed until at least Friday. The nine-mile stretch from Neptune's Net at Yerba Buena Road to Las Posas Road had been expected to reopen Monday at 6 p.m., but the weekend rain has prevented this from happening.
"Friday is what we are hoping for," a dispatcher said. CHP dispatchers do not release their names.
Rain is expected in the area until 10 a.m. Monday, but there is no rain in the forecast for the remainder of the week, according to the National Weather Service.
The stretch of highway has been closed to traffic since Dec. 18—with a brief opening on Dec. 28— due to rockslides caused by the rain. A crew of mountain climbers during daylight hours has been knocking down loose debris from the hillsides that ranges in size from small, bladed rocks to "Volkswagen-sized" boulders.
Andy Stern
9:11 am on Monday, January 3, 2011
With PCH closed, and the grapevine closed yesterday and holiday traffic the normal 1 hour drive to Santa Barbara became a 4 hour drive. It is an extra 17 miles for me over Kanan rather than up PCH.
Jonathan Friedman
1:54 pm on Monday, January 3, 2011
Wow! That is rough. I think there are plenty of people whose lives will greatly improve once this stretch of highway finally reopens.
chris johnston
4:23 pm on Thursday, January 6, 2011
chris johnston
4:21 January 6, 2011
I love pch. It is such a dream drive to work and back. The road is well-engineered, unlike Kanan Rd. and that horrid grade. I am missing the beautiful scenery, and the ease of no bumper to bumper traffic with people who want to drive one hundred miles an hour. I hope it is reopened (and safe) very soon.