Major SoCal Freeway Closure Just Beginning

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Route Fire may be contained, but it's still creating traffic headaches for Southern California thanks to the damage it did to the Golden State (5) Freeway in Castaic.

The northbound lanes were closed down for 12 hours overnight for repair work and reopened at about 10 a.m. Friday. The closure caught unsuspecting drivers heading north out of Los Angeles County in an hours-long traffic jam. More overnight closures are expected Sunday through Wednesday, and Caltrans is warning drivers to find alternate routes.

Caltrans crews are working to repair roughly two miles of roadway damaged by the 5,208-acre blaze that started Aug. 31. Two lanes of the roadway have been closed in the area since the Route Fire.

The first full closure began lasted from 10 p.m. Thursday to 10 a.m. Friday. During that closure, crews worked to place 2,400 feet of asphalt concrete in an already-excavated section under construction. The traffic backup due to the closure went on for miles.

The freeway will be closed again at 11:59 p.m. Sunday until 10 a.m. Monday. Similar closures will continue through Wednesday. During those closures, crews will work on the existing asphalt shoulder for 6,000 feet just north of the concrete section and restripe the lanes.

By Thursday, three lanes of the northbound freeway will be open, according to Caltrans.

During the closures, the turnaround gate at Parker Road will be opened to redirect northbound traffic back south. That will necessitate blocking the three left lanes of the southbound freeway to ensure trucks have room to negotiate the turn, according to Caltrans.

Alternate routes include the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway north of Sylmar and state Route 126/Newhall Ranch Road. Southbound motorists were urged to take the eastbound state Route 138 to the southbound 14 Freeway.

"The safety of the motorists and truckers is our primary goal," said Caltrans District 7 Acting District Director Gloria Roberts. "The Route Fire caused extensive damage to the two retaining walls, and traffic cannot travel on the two right lanes until more permanent repairs are completed."

The damage caused to the retaining walls by the Route Fire included warped steel columns, broken tiebacks and possibly damaged anchors, Caltrans reported. Additionally, cracks in the asphalt have widened and wooden lagging on the retaining walls has been burned.

Due to the traffic impacts of the project, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger sent an open letter to residents Friday saying she has asked Gov. Gavin Newsom to make all resources available to allow Caltrans to complete the repairs as quickly as possible.

She said she has asked the Department of Public Works to establish some local-access-only routes in the area to ensure residents can negotiate the area.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.