PCH Slide Section Is Reopened

A five-mile section of Pacific Coast Highway that had been closed for more than a week because of landslides reopened Thursday afternoon--just in time for the Fourth of July weekend.

Only one lane in each direction was reopened, however, and the maximum allowable speed will be just 30 mph. In other words, if there’s another route to your holiday destination, take it.

A June 19 slide brought down dirt and rocks onto the highway. Rocks continued to fall near Las Flores Canyon throughout the day, stalling Caltrans’ efforts to construct a dirt berm to contain further sliding.

Caltrans eventually cleared the road, but another slide three days later closed the popular route again. Two houses overlooking PCH that were in danger of toppling were demolished by crews after the second slide.

“We think the slides were weather-related,” said Margie Tiritilli, a Caltrans spokeswoman. “First, we had all that rain that saturated the hillsides. Then the warm, dry weather caused the earth to contract and crumble.”