After months of being closed to regular travel, a critical 11-mile stretch of Pacific Coast Highway is set to reopen this Friday, just in time for Memorial Day weekend.
PCH, a key route connecting Los Angeles to Malibu and coastal Ventura County, has been closed following extensive damage to homes and other property from January’s Palisades Fire and subsequent mudslides.
The reopening, expedited by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s “all-hands-on-deck” initiative, comes well ahead of initial projections. The prolonged closure has created dire conditions for local businesses, many of whom have endured months without regular income.
“Reopening PCH is a top priority, and we are going all-in to get this done,” Newsom stated in his April 12 directive.
To meet the deadline, the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, Caltrans and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deployed a massive surge of manpower and equipment. More than 100 USACE crews have been working around the clock, clearing debris and demolishing unsafe structures, The Malibu Times reported.
Officials said crews are removing an astonishing 1,284 truckloads of debris daily, using PCH itself as the primary haul route.
On Friday, two lanes in each direction will be open to public travel.
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Traci Park, who represents the area’s 11th District, has scheduled a virtual community meeting for 4 p.m. Thursday to address residents’ concerns about the reopening.