A Sigalert was issued for lane Nos. 1, 2 and 3 on the southbound Interstate 5 Wednesday afternoon at Magic Mountain Parkway while the lanes were closed for repairs, according to Josh Greengard, spokesman for California Highway Patrol.
The alert, which was reported at 11:54 a.m., stated that traffic was backed up to Hasley Canyon Road due to metal rods interfering with the roadways. The level of congestion stopped traffic, with expected delays up to an hour.
According to the Caltrans website, “traffic is reduced to two lanes from the south junction of State Route126 to Rye Canyon Road in Santa Clarita” from 1 to 3:30 p.m.
According to Michael Comeaux, public information officer for Caltrans, there is a joint assembly that combines two sections of concrete on the freeway, and after multiple attempts of repair, Caltrans is taking the initiative to remove the thick material completely.
“A piece of the metal is sticking up, and for safety reasons, we are cutting it with a saw and removing it today,” Comeaux said Wednesday.
With plans for a permanent repair, Caltrans is tentatively scheduling the complete removal of the rod overnight in the upcoming weeks, as well as concrete pouring in the gap at the location.
“We will pour concrete in that gap, and that’s going to require us to work overnight from Friday night, March 8, around 11 p.m. until around 8 a.m. Saturday, March 9,” Comeaux said. “It’s subject to change due to weather, or due to operational reasons.”
Comeaux said Caltrans appreciates the patience of the millions of commuters and truck drivers a week, on average, who commute on Interstate 5, and assured that repairs are imminent in an area of heavy usage.
“We appreciate the understanding and patience of the public as it is sometimes necessary to close lanes in order to make emergency repairs. We always attempt to schedule repairs at night and at other times when traffic volume is lower,” Comeaux said. “Caltrans is always working as hard as we can to stay on top of the maintenance needs; it’s very important to us to complete this work and to complete this repair successfully.”
