Traffic in Malibu reached an absolute standstill today, as a power pole apparently cracked and began to fall over on Pacific Coast Highway at Latigo Beach.
About 976 homes and businesses were initially without power at 9:21 a.m., said Southern California Edison spokeswoman Susan Cox. Line workers were able to restore power to all but 244 accounts by mid-morning, Cox said
The pole simply failed, there was no crash or other apparent outside factor, according to responding firefighters, said a sheriff’s deputy at the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station. The SCE spokeswoman said no cause for the failure was immediately reported.
The road closure was ordered just after 8 a.m. today. Firefighters said PCH was likely to remain closed all day: westbound traffic was being turned around at John Tyler Drive, eastbound traffic was getting the same order at Latigo Canyon Road.
The closest detour around the four-mile closure was a mountainous 30-mile-loop via Malibu Canyon Road, Mulholland Highway, Sierra Creek Road and Kanan-Dume Road.
The cracking pole and dropped lines came on the same day that Malibu was being hammered by huge surf and thousands of surfers and spectators.
In addition, the annual 9/11 commemoration of flags was set up on the broad lawn at Pepperdine University, further snarling traffic.
Southern California Edison and communications companies are starting a multimillion-dollar evaluation and upgrade of wooden poles in Malibu, as part of a settlement from the wooden pole that state investigators say blew over and ignited the 2007 Malibu Canyon Fire.
