2 Slides Block SR17; High Wind, Crashes Slow Traffic

LOS GATOS, CA -- Mud took over two sections of the notorious State Route 17 heading in opposite directions, bringing massive delays on the major connection from the Santa Cruz mountains to the South Bay for the Wednesday evening commute, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The landslide on the southbound side at Sugarloaf Road near Los Gatos prompted a severe traffic alert and closed all lanes. Motorists were advised to expect delays or avoid the area altogether.

Caltrans hopes to reopen both the southbound and northbound lanes by 10 p.m.

Another landslide was reported on the northbound side of the highway at the Laurel Road cutoff south of Los Gatos, closing all lanes at one point. CHP urged motorists to use alternate routes.

There was also a disabled vehicle blocking the left lane on the southbound side of the highway at the Scotts Valley turnoff, but the car has since moved. Farther north on SR-17, an obstruction was blocking the third left lane on the northbound side at the busy East Hamilton Avenue exit in Campbell. It has been cleared.

As predicted with Wednesday's severe weather, the afternoon commute represents a large source of frustration for those struggling to get home or elsewhere.

Beyond mudslides and debris, crashes were wrapped into a nightmarish commute. As of 7:05 p.m., a crash was reported on southbound State Route 85 north of Saratoga Avenue. The incident has been cleared.

Earlier, a crash with injuries was reported at 6:28 p.m. on State Route 87 southbound at LeLong Street, but it has also since cleared.

Wednesday's storm was packing a punch, providing hesitation to cautious commuters trying to negotiate the highways safely. High winds over the Dumbarton Bridge in both directions had slowed traffic from Fremont to Menlo Park.

Mudslides are like earthquakes -- they're going to happen at some point

"When you have steep cliffs and slopes, and you have rain come down in a short period of time with already saturated soils, you're going to have these events," said Laura Sullivan-Green, associate professor of civil and environmental engineer at San Jose State University.

Sullivan-Green said the areas prone to a greater propensity for landslides are those that have experienced failures of the slopes before and in the burn zones. Otherwise, slides, aka "slips," can occur under several circumstances.

"You can have a slide in many (degrees) of slopes," she said. "If there's gravity, and it's not flat, you can have one."

Once an observer experienced a landslide, it's usually described as a memorable event.

The slide expert and professor said the event is characterized by a low rumbling.

"The big thing is, you need to heed evacuations orders," she said, adding that to prevent the event residents will want "to ensure the property has good drainage and good vegetation."

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