One of the lesser-traveled but nonetheless potentially critical emergency routes to and from the Santa Clarita Valley closed down as the result of debris and mudslides from the recent storms in the region, county officials confirmed Monday.
Most of the SCV received anywhere from 6 to 8 inches of rain in the recent storm, according to the National Weather Service, with Newhall recording the region’s high of 8.5 inches and the Canyon Country area totaling about the same as Saugus, around 6.2 inches.
And some pretty significant impacts are still being felt throughout the region.
In addition to the gas-main explosion on the west side of the SCV in Castaic, in the southeast, county officials are dealing with problems on a winding road that served as a critical pass during the aftermath of the 1994 earthquake.
Liz Vasquez, a public information officer for L.A. County Public Works, described the dynamic situation facing those trying to repair the road on Monday.
As she was discussing the situation on the phone, she received an email that announced the reopening date for the road was pushed back from Jan. 31 to a date “to be determined.”
The road was initially closed Dec. 24, Vasquez said, with plans for it to re-open two days later.
However, when several vehicles went out to inspect, the damage to the road had worsened significantly.
The anticipation of another rainstorm was the main reason for the further delay, she added.
She also said L.A. County officials would be updating the closure information on its website: pw.lacounty.gov/roadclosures.
Periodically, but mostly on Wednesday night and late Friday into Saturday morning, the SCV could receive about 2 more inches of rain, according to David Gomberg, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. He described it as “not nearly like what we just saw,” but more of a “prolonged duration of moderate rain.”
The city of Santa Clarita posted Friday about the closure on social media.
“Sand Canyon Road is closed between Placerita Canyon Road and Santa Clara Truck Trail due to roadway undermining and two small rockslides,” the post stated. “The closure is expected to remain in place for several days as crews complete repairs. Please expect delays, drive with caution and use alternate routes if possible.”
Area resident Chris Finch, who regularly cycles on the road, said in a phone interview Monday morning that there were still significant issues when he was out there.
While there are less-circuitous routes, when the road is open, one can take Sand Canyon Road to a point called Bear Divide, which provides a great overlook, Finch said, as well as a path that becomes Little Tujunga Canyon Road and can take you into Lake View Terrace. He recalled during the aftermath of the Northridge Earthquake, when Interstate 5 closed due to damage, the road was bumper-to-bumper every day with commuters.
The road is now undermined about 200 yards past Bear Divide, he said, and when he was out there, it looked as though workers had strategically placed rocks in an effort to stem the water and clear a lane.
A little past there, about a quarter-mile from the Bear Divide camp that services a “Hotshot” crew of highly trained, specialized wildland fire hand crews, the roads were covered in debris and mud, he added. Another turn near the mountain looked like it had 3 or 4 feet of dirt all the way across.
“And it also says, ‘Open to emergency vehicles,’” Finch added. “When I was up there, there was a Forest Service guy who tried to get over it in his Suburban, and he couldn’t, so he backed down and so he couldn’t get up the hill in a 4-wheel drive Suburban.”
