By Barbara Burke
Special to The Malibu Times
Topanga Canyon Boulevard, State Road 27, one of the main arteries in the Malibu-Topanga area, has been closed for two weeks due to a crumbling hillside and officials have no idea when it will reopen. The southern section of Topanga Canyon from Grand View Drive to the Pacific Coast Highway was shut down on March 11 as incessant rain caused debris to fall off of the hillside.
“More rocks and dirt continue to fall from an unstable hillside to broaden a landslide that is covering the roadway at postmile 1.8,” Caltrans District 7 stated in a social media update on March 26. “There is concern that rain over the past weekend added to the already saturated hills.”
“Geologists continue to assess the best way to clear the roadway and secure the unstable hillside,” Caltrans continued, adding the bolded words, “Unknown Duration.”
Further, another storm is predicted to begin late Friday, March 29 and to last through late Sunday, with early estimates from the National Weather Service estimating between one to three inches of rain, with a possibility of up to four inches along the coastal areas and in the valleys.
Drivers are encouraged to follow Caltrans District 7 on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CaltransDist7.