At a Glance
- Topanga Canyon Boulevard is closed for 55 hours while crews install an 84-inch underground pipe
- Detours send drivers onto the 101, 405, and 10 Freeways to reach Pacific Coast Highway
- The same stretch has faced nightly closures since the Palisades Fire and winter storms damaged the road
- Why it matters: Commuters between the Valley and the coast face a full weekend of delays, and the new pipe is meant to prevent future debris flows during storms
A 3.6-mile section of Topanga Canyon Boulevard between Pacific Coast Highway and Grand View Drive remains shut through Monday morning while construction crews slide a massive storm-drain pipe beneath the roadway. The closure, which began one minute after midnight Saturday, is scheduled to lift at 7 a.m. Monday, according to Caltrans.
Weekend Shutdown Details
Crews are installing an 84-inch diameter pipe that will run underneath and perpendicular to the boulevard. Caltrans says the pipe is “designed to carry increased capacity of water and mud during rainstorms, reducing the amount of debris flow on the highway in future storms.”
The pipe work is part of broader repairs that have already triggered nightly closures on the same stretch. Those repairs began after the Palisades Fire and subsequent winter storms damaged the road. Caltrans hopes to finish all repairs by summer.
Approved Detours
Motorists heading south on Topanga Canyon should:
- Take the Ventura (101) Freeway south
- Merge onto the southbound San Diego (405) Freeway
- Head west on the Santa Monica (10) Freeway to reach Pacific Coast Highway
Northbound drivers can reverse the same route.
Topanga Canyon will stay open between Grand View Drive and the 101 Freeway, keeping access to the Topanga area and local businesses intact.
Marcus L. Bennett reported the closure details and detour instructions provided by Caltrans.
