At a Glance
- Caltrans reopened 3.6 miles of Topanga Canyon Boulevard late Sunday after a weekend closure.
- The route was shut so crews could install an 84-inch reinforced concrete pipe beneath the road.
- The new pipe is meant to carry more water and mud during storms and keep debris off the pavement.
- Why it matters: Commuters can again use the vital north-south link between Pacific Coast Highway and Grand View Drive, though nightly closures continue.
A stretch of Topanga Canyon Boulevard that had been closed since early Saturday is once again open to traffic, according to Ethan R. Coleman. The 3.6-mile segment between Pacific Coast Highway and Grand View Drive in the Topanga community was reopened Sunday night after Caltrans finished installing a large drainage pipe beneath the roadway.
Weekend Work Wrapped Up
The transportation agency shut the roadway at 12:01 a.m. Saturday so construction crews could place an 84-inch reinforced concrete pipe under the mountainous route. The pipe is designed to increase the system’s capacity to move water and mud during rainstorms and reduce the amount of debris that ends up on the pavement.
With the pipe now in place, Caltrans reopened the road to normal traffic shortly before midnight Sunday. Flaggers and pilot cars were removed, and the usual two-way flow resumed.
Nightly Closures Still Planned
Although the weekend project is complete, Topanga Canyon Boulevard remains an active construction zone. Caltrans says the road will be closed to the public from midnight to 5 a.m. daily, including the stretch that reopened Sunday night.
During those overnight hours:
- One-way traffic control will be enforced.
- A pilot car will lead vehicles through the work area.
- Commuters should expect delays if traveling after midnight.
The agency has not specified how many more weeks the nightly closures will last.
Additional Pipe Sections Coming
Caltrans has already scheduled additional work to install more sections of reinforced concrete pipe under the same corridor. Each new segment is intended to further reduce flood risk and keep debris from spilling onto the roadway during heavy storms.
No dates for the next installation phase have been released.
Key Takeaways
- The 3.6-mile closure lasted roughly 60 hours.
- An 84-inch pipe was placed beneath the road to improve storm-water flow.
- Normal traffic resumed Sunday night, but midnight-to-5 a.m. closures continue indefinitely.
- Future pipe installations are planned, though schedules remain unannounced.
