Coast Highway Reopens In Dana Point Before Storm Arrival

DANA POINT, CA — Coast Highway in Dana Point has reopened after being shut down due to a landslide Monday, according to the city of Dana Point.

Days of rain over New Year's weekend left the hillside unstable, and a section failed at approximately 5 p.m. Monday, the city said. Since then, both directions of Coast Highway, between Palisades Drive and Camino Capistrano, were shut down as Public Works and Engineering departments dealt with the closure. Wednesday, the road was reopened, the city announced.

Nichole Squirrell, senior administrator for Dana Point's Public Works Department discussed the landslide with the OC Register in a recent report.

"This is one of the bigger ones, usually, it’s just a couple of boulders coming down,” Squirrell told the Register. "This one is a little bigger due to the massive amount of recent rains."

According to the city, workers removed the slumped earth and rock from the roadway, making it safe to reopen. Still, more rains are on the way.

Workers did their best to secure the soil on the opposite side of the k-rail to ensure it would not overflow into the street during Thursday's expected storm.

With Dana Point and the rest of Orange County under a flood watch through Thursday, drivers should use caution and avoid flooded roads.