PCH closes one day after reopening

Pacific Coast Highway will be closed “out of an abundance of caution” from Chautauqua Boulevard in L.A. to Carbon Beach Terrace in Malibu, according to Caltrans.

The roughly 9-mile closure starts Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 3 p.m. until at least Friday, when Caltrans engineers will assess whether it’s safe to reopen the highway to the public. Caltrans announced the closure on Monday — the same day it had reopened for the first time in weeks following the Palisades Fire, with one lane of traffic moving in each direction at limited speed.

“The highway must be closed due to soft soils on both the hill and ocean sides of the road,” Caltrans said in a news release. “Mud and debris flows may occur and canyons may overtop, blocking the road or causing further damage.”

Damage from the Palisades Fire extended to the infrastructure, homes and businesses along PCH, resulting in a weeks-long closure. The L.A. mayor’s office kept a three-mile stretch of PCH closed until Monday morning following concerns from residents about allowing the general public into the area amid worries about toxic pollution and looting.

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Weather forecast could bring rain

Two storms are expected this week in Los Angeles. The highest chances of rainfall will be early to midday Wednesday and on Thursday night into Friday, according to the National Weather Service. It said that the risk for debris flow from burn areas remains “minimal.”

During the closure, only first responders, recovery agencies and utility companies will be permitted to access the PCH, according to Caltrans.

Resident passes needed to access homes

Residents of Pacific Palisades should still be able to get to their homes using Chautauqua Boulevard as long as they have resident passes, which they can acquire at the Disaster Recovery Center in Westwood from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Sunday that the state has been working to mitigate debris flow in burn areas. Crews have installed thousands of feet of material designed to prevent erosion, according to a news release from his office.

“Our top priority is to protect people and the environment from the cascading effects of wildfire damage,” Newsom said in the release. “Through coordinated collaborative efforts, we are reducing the risk of debris flows and maintaining the integrity of our natural resources.”