District 7 photo
By Katy Macek
District 7 public information officer
Southern California received an intense bout of rainstorms Nov.13-16, threatening recovery efforts from the Palisades Fire and early 2025 rainstorms that severely damaged Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and Topanga Canyon Boulevard/State Route 27 (SR-27) in Los Angeles County.
Fortunately, due to statewide and local partnerships along with proactive planning and communication, both highways saw minimal damage after the long-lasting weekend rainstorms.
Caltrans District 7 (Los Angeles and Ventura counties) monitored National Weather Service reports in the week leading up to the storm, and maintenance crews were out on PCH and SR-27 as early as the Monday before the storms to install k-rail, sandbags, waddles and plastic sheeting over slopes to prevent mudflows and debris blockages.
Internal discussions also began about closing a 3.6-mile stretch of SR-27, a narrow and winding stretch of highway that runs perpendicular to PCH and is still an active work zone for emergency projects from the Palisades Fire and subsequent storms.
Additionally, on Thursday, Nov. 13, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services pre-deployed resources to Southern California, allowing crews to move quickly when the storms arrived.
That same evening, Caltrans’ geotech engineers along with construction and maintenance crews made the final call to close SR-27 from PCH to Grand View Drive, concerned that if mud or debris flows did happen, it would be dangerous to make a rescue in stormy conditions. The safety of motorists and emergency responders is always Caltrans’ first priority in an emergency.
District 7’s external affairs office jumped into action, knowing the unincorporated community of Topanga relied on SR-27 as its main street. Staff notified the town council and elected officials, as well as nearby school administrators. Crews activated changeable message signs on highways throughout west Los Angeles to alert motorists of the closure and put a notice on Quickmap.
The highway closed at 10 p.m. Nov. 13 with no certainty as to when it would reopen. Knowing how vital the highway was to so many, Caltrans committed to providing daily updates throughout the weekend.
District 7 photo
Maintenance and construction crews worked all weekend monitoring impacts and responding to flooding, downed trees and debris flows, not only on SR-27 but also PCH and numerous highways throughout the region.
District 7 activated its Emergency Operations Center at enhanced watch in case of major impacts.
While PCH saw minor flooding and mudflows, the proactive measures protecting slopes and storm drains led to minimal impacts.
On SR-27, construction crews drove the road each day and cleared it of moderate debris flows and rock falls, while geotech engineers assessed the highway’s conditions.
External affairs shared daily updates on social media and in news releases, in addition to alerting elected officials and the town council, who helped spread news of the continued closure all weekend long.
The closure, though inconvenient, was ultimately safer for motorists and provided construction crews space to quickly clean up any impacts from the storms.
“I would like to extend a great THANK YOU to the Caltrans Team for their proactive communications of the closure of Topanga Canyon Blvd,” Topanga resident Todd Davidovich wrote in an email.
The sun finally came out Tuesday, Nov. 18, allowing crews to finish cleanup and helping dry out the road. It reopened at noon to the traveling public.
The Palisades Fire burn scar area saw 3 to 5 inches of rainfall over the entire storm system, but thanks to the dedication of Caltrans’ crews on the ground, along with advanced planning and statewide partnerships, the weekend storms brought only minimal impacts to two important highways. Now, recovery work can continue.