Topanga Canyon Boulevard Set To Reopen After Nearly 3-Month Closure

TOPANGA, CA — Closed to traffic since March, the stretch of Topanga Canyon Boulevard linking the San Fernando Valley and Pacific Coast Highway will reopen on Sunday.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the news on Friday in a video posted to social media.

"Some good news to report," Newsom said. "Topanga Canyon Boulevard will be open this Sunday, that's June 2. It's about three months ahead of schedule. I just want to thank the men and women of Caltrans for working overtime to get this done."

Topanga Canyon Boulevard has been closed between Pacific Coast Highway and Grand View Drive since March 9, after storms triggered mud and debris flows that made travel on the road unsafe, according to officials.

At that time, officials said the closure would be indefinite as they worked to manage the slide. Motorists traveling between the Valley and PCH were forced to use alternate routes — sometimes miles out of their way — including Malibu Canyon Road, Las Virgenes Road and the 405 Freeway.

In late April, a group of local and state officials toured the area, vowing to do what they can to expedite the reopening of the roadway. Early predictions, however, were that the road might remain blocked until late summer.

Some 15,000 cubic yards of material were removed from the slide area. It's being repurposed by Ventura County farmers, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works and an art installation in downtown Los Angeles near LA State Historic Park., according to Caltrans.

To remove materials, crews built an access road adjacent to the slide to push down materials from the top using a Spider Excavator and loading the materials into Super-10 trucks with a long-reach excavator. From there, the trucks hauled the dirt and rocks to the farms, county storage locations and the art installation, according to a statement.

Now that Caltrans has stabilized the slope and removed material, geotechnical engineers and geologists will monitor the site for any movement. Officials recommended a cable-mesh drapery system to prevent any sloughing of remaining loose materials and planting native seeds to further stabilize the slope.

On May 3, Gov. Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency to help secure federal funding to repair damage to roads battered during March storms, including state Route 27-Topanga Canyon Boulevard.

City News Service contributed to this report.