Tag: Landslides

MALIBU—On Monday, March 25, the city of Malibu provided an update on its website related to several road closures because of landslides in the region.

The City Public Works Department is communicating with Caltrans on the closures due to landslides that have been impacting Malibu as Caltrans engineers continue to assess the safety and stability of the slopes and the roadway at the landslide sites in Topanga Canyon and on Pacific Coast Highway.

“We understand the inconvenience and frustration caused by the traffic congestion. The closures are for your safety. We will continue to post any significant changes on social media and other platforms. Meanwhile, we urge residents, commuters and visitors to check navigation apps and Quickmap.dot.ca.gov for the latest road conditions and closures or call Caltrans Highway Information Network at 800-427-7623 before hitting the road. For the most up to date information, follow Caltrans District 7 on X (Twitter) at https://twitter.com/CaltransDist7. Please drive cautiously in the slide areas, and watch for workers and work vehicles in the road,” the city stated on its website.

TOPANGA CANYON REMAINS CLOSED

Topanga Canyon remains closed in both directions from Grand View Drive to PCH until further notice due to the large, active landslide located 1.8 miles north of PCH. Large rocks continue to fall at the site. Caltrans is continuing to monitor the slide. Additional rain is forecasted for the weekend.

FLAGGERS DIRECTING TRAFFIC AT TUNA CANYON & PCH

As of March 22, Caltrans stationed flaggers to direct traffic from Tuna Canyon Road onto to southbound PCH in Malibu to help make it easier and safer for drivers to cross the northbound lanes of PCH and prevent wrong-way drivers from entering the one-way Tuna Canyon Rd.

2 LANES OPEN IN EACH DIRECTION AT PCH & BIG ROCK

Caltrans restriped the median lane on PCH at the ongoing active landslide just south of Big Rock Drive in Malibu to provide two northbound lanes to help alleviate traffic congestion. One northbound lane was taken up by K-rails to halt the active landslide. There are now two northbound and one southbound lanes open. Caltrans is assessing the slide and making plans to clear the roadway. The duration is unknown.

By Trevor

HOLLYWOOD HILLS—On March 24, several homes in the Hollywood Hills area were damaged after recent rainfall. According to local meteorologists, Sunday’s bouts of rain added to the already saturated ground sending mud and debris down below the hillside on the 9200 block of Flicker Way.

The area near Sierra Mar Place, where comedian Jerry Seinfeld use to live, has also been one of the places most seriously affected by the Spring rains this year.

According to The Landslide Blog, on EOS written by Dave Petley, due to a landslide, four homes in the area have been red-tagged or declared “unsafe for occupation.” Petley explained that aerial video footage showed the rotation of blocks of sandstone and siltstone bedrock has caused large amounts of “weathered material” into the homes below.

According to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, “Rotational slides (slumps) are landslides that occur along a curved or spoon-shaped surface. Back-tilting may occur near the scarp of the landslide and there is often a toe of displaced material. Rotational slides often occur because the internal strength of the material is overcome by its own weight.”

According to World Weather information, Hollywood Hills has a sixty-one percent chance of more rain in the forecast for Saturday, March 30, and Sunday, March 31.

By Sharon