LA County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl announced Tuesday the County of Los Angeles and Caltrans are working together to ensure safety for Malibu residents and commuters while Pacific Coast Highway is closed in southern Ventura County and the Malibu Canyon Road tunnel is under construction.
“With PCH closed between Las Posas and Yerba Buena in Ventura and a $3 million tunnel improvement project on Malibu Canyon Road starting in January, some local residents were concerned about how traffic in the area might be affected,” Kuehl said. “By ensuring large trucks stay off Kanan Dume Road at night, Caltrans and LA County Public Works are making the drive much safer for nighttime commuters.”
Starting in January 2015, the tunnel on Malibu Canyon Road will be closed for construction Sunday through Friday, from 9 pm to 5 am.
Traffic between those hours will be detoured onto Kanan Dume Road and Topanga Canyon Boulevard.
The County and Caltrans have worked with the California Highway Patrol to have an officer enforce existing weight restrictions preventing trucks over 8,000 lbs. from using Kanan Dume Road as a shortcut to PCH.
Alternatively, they will be directed to use Topanga Canyon Road. Combined with additional signs posted along PCH and Highway 101, officials from the City of Malibu believe this will make the detour safer and a more attractive option to local commuters.
Caltrans anticipates that PCH could be open for traffic in approximately a month.
“Despite the temporary inconvenience, the upgrades to the Malibu Canyon Road tunnel are necessary to repair the roadway and enhance driver comfort and vehicle safety,” said Malibu Mayor Skylar Peak. “LA County and Caltrans have heard the concerns of our residents, and we are very pleased to see this sort of inter-agency collaboration as a result.”
For updates on the Malibu Canyon Road tunnel improvement project, visit www.dpw.lacounty.gov/go/malibutunnel.
