March 28, 2024 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Seven Days To California Incline Closure In Santa Monica:

It’s T-minus seven days until a relatively small traffic artery will be closed in Santa Monica, but the project may have regional implications many miles away.

Warning signs have been placed as far away as the Ventura (101) Freeway, 25 miles away in Agoura Hills, warning drivers about the pending closure of California Incline, a two-block-long bridge that links downtown Santa Monica to Pacific Coast Highway.

The landmark bridge, which carries traffic up the side of a cliff, was built in 1930, and is falling apart. Santa Monica officials are worried about earthquakes or landslides, and plan to demolish the old bridge, shore up the cliffs, and build a new incline that looks like the old one.

The $20 million project is set to start Monday, April 20, and it will close a route that is used by 13,000 vehicles a day for 13 months. The worry is how those cars will back up onto PCH or surrounding Pacific Palisades or Santa Monica streets, as drivers seek out two detours, both narrow and twisting.

Santa Monica engineers have said the project may partially ease traffic jams on PCH, because the signal on PCH at California Incline will not turn red for PCH traffic during the 14 months or so of construction.

But Malibu city officials fret that the three other major road projects in Santa Monica will cause a severe crunch on PCH, the main access to Pacific Palisades, Topanga Canyon and Malibu and a route used by 80,000 vehicles daily.

“We’re all very scared out here,” Malibu city council member Laura Rosenthal told the Santa Monica Observer news site. “There is a potential for horrific commutes morning and afternoon.”

A City of Los Angeles sewer project is still blocking 2 or 3 lanes of PCH just north of the California Incline, depending on each day’s work schedules. That project is more than two months over its schedule, and was supposed to be finished before the Incline was closed.

It will now block PCH lanes until about July 1.

And traffic to the south, between PCH and the only other direct road to downtown Santa Monica, is snarled by Expo Line and street reconfiguration projects overseen by Metro and the City of Santa Monica.

Traffic this weekend was already a knot on Ocean Avenue at the Santa Monica Pier, where the detour connector ramps — called Ahiko Moomat Way — connect PCH and Ocean Avenue.

Drivers needed 15 minutes to traverse construction at that corner Saturday afternoon, a reporter observed from a car. That route is the primary detour for the California Incline.

That has sparked fears along two narrow streets in Santa Monica Canton — Entrada and West Channel drives — which are expected to congeal into solid lines of stopped cars as people seek to get to and from the ocean.

“Santa Monica Canyon is going to get hammered more than anybody else,” observed resident George Wolfberg in an interview with the Santa Monica Observer. “When Santa Monica sneezes, we get pneumonia.”

PCH is used as a scenic relief valve for motorists travelling between Los Angeles and Ventura County or the Conejo Valley, and it also overloads with beach users most any sunny day on the coast.

Past construction blockages on the coast route have resulted in stopped cars on the Santa Monica (10) and San Diego (405) freeways, sometimes reaching all the way to Long Beach or downtown Los Angeles.

The California Incline bridge was built up the cliff to replace a dirt road in 1930. It has been featured in dozens of movies, including an old Keystone Cops feature in which a fire truck gets stuck making a tight turn and gets spun by a Pacific Electric  streetcar, which used to run along the botom of the cliff.

It also had a cameo role in 1964’s “It’s A Mad Mad, Mad World.”

in News
Related Posts

 (Video) Philz Coffee Set to Close Westside Location Next Month

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

The Franchise Recently Made Headlines for Changing Headquarters @smmirrornews Philz is closing its Santa Monica shop #coffeeaddict #coffee #coffeeshop #losangeles...

Fleurs et Sel Bakery Opens Storefront in West Adams, Welcomes Customers Three Days a Week

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Indulge in Freshly Baked Cookies at the New West Adams Location Fleurs et Sel Bakery, known for its delectable cookies...

Easter Specials Guide: Brunch Spots, Desserts, and More in West Los Angeles

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Discover the Best Easter Eats and Treats in LA for Your Holiday Celebration Easter is almost here, so here are...

Famous Literary Critic and Palisadian Passes Away at 92

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

A Memoriam Post Stated She Overturned Views on T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound and Other Canonized Artists By Zach Armstrong...

Mixed-Use Development Set for Sloping Property along Chautauqua Boulevard

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

“Canyon Place” Is Set to Include Two Apartment Units and 1,415 Sq. Ft. of Office Space By Zach Armstrong A...

Over Five Miles of Venice Blvd. to Temporarily Close, Become Public Park in April

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

The Initiative, Which Started in 2010, Aims to Connect Communities and Promote Sustainable Transportation Options On Sunday, April 21 from...

(Video) Workers Strike at Luxury Hotel in Downtown Santa Monica

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Meanwhile, Unite Here Local 11 Recently Announced a Contract Was Ratified at 34 Hotels @smmirrornews Workers are striking at Proper...

(Video) Director Adam Wingard Talks About His Influences While Making GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Director Adam Wingard Talks About His Influences While Making GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE at the Beyond Fest Screening...

Historic Union Contract Ratified by Thousands of Hotel Workers At 34 Hotels

March 26, 2024

March 26, 2024

UNITE HERE Local 11 Negotiates Agreement Ensuring Wage Increases  Hotel workers, who spearheaded the largest hotel strike in modern U.S....

Teen Kung Fu Coming to Pali Rec Center

March 26, 2024

March 26, 2024

This 8-week session, priced at $160, commences in April 2024 Palisades Recreation Center introduces Teen Kung Fu classes, fostering a...

After Securing $200K Grant, City Embarks on Action Plan for Older Adults, People with Disabilities and Caregivers

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

The City Will Engage Experts, Nonprofit Partners, Commissioners, and Stakeholders to Spearhead the Planning Process The city of Santa Monica...

City Commences Phase 2 of Beach Restoration Project

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

The Project Will Enlarge the Habitat for Significant Native Species, Including the Federally Threatened Western Snowy Plover Phase 2 of...

Caltrans Extends Closure on Topanga Canyon Boulevard Due to Mud and Rockslide

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

PCH Closure on March 26 Adds to Local Road Closures, Seek Alternative Routes The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has...

Animal Rights Groups Demand an End to Turtle Racing at Brennan’s Pub

March 25, 2024

March 25, 2024

The Organization Says Its Tried to Contact the Westside Bar for Months By Zach Armstrong Among its numerous entertainment events...

SMC Unveils Spring 2024 Issue of Acclaimed Literary Journal, Author Readings Coming in April

March 24, 2024

March 24, 2024

The Issue Presents a Mix of New, Returning, and Debut Writers, Reflecting Diversity and Enduring Relationships Santa Monica College announced...