Newsom Announces PCH Will Partially Reopen to Public in May

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Governor Gavin Newsom announced Saturday, April 12, that Pacific Coast Highway will partially reopen to the public by the end of May.

The statement described an “all-hands-on-deck” effort to support businesses and tourism in the area by “expediting fire cleanup efforts” to reopen a portion of the highway between Malibu and Pacific Palisades that has been largely closed to public travel since the Palisades fire started on January 7.

“Following the reopening, one lane in each direction would be available for public travel,” according to the statement.

The highway is currently open between Chautauqua Boulevard in the Palisades and Carbon Beach Terrace in Malibu only to residents in the Palisades fire burn scar area, essential businesses and repair crews.

PCH reopened one lane in each direction at reduced speeds to the public on February 3 for the first time since the Palisades fire before closing again on February 4 at 3 p.m. ahead of storms in the area that week.

“We understand how essential this route is for daily life and local businesses,” Newsom said. “Reopening PCH is a top priority, and we are going all-in to get this done.”

The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and Caltrans reported plans to work with United States Army Corps of Engineers—which is leading the government-run debris removal program—to prioritize the cleanup of parcels along PCH. This will be done by “surging additional crews into the area,” so that “these parcels can be cleared of debris quickly.”

“Once the highway is reopened, security checkpoints currently in place on the north and south ends of closure will be removed,” the statement continued, “but a robust law enforcement presence from state and local agencies will remain in place.”

Caltrans confirmed during a virtual town hall hosted by Mayor Karen Bass’ office on Tuesday evening, April 15, that the agency was working on creating a plan for the upcoming reopening. The plan is slated to include conditions similar to the temporary reopening in February, including traffic signals flashing red and a 25 MPH speed limit.

“Also keep in mind that work will be continuing,” Eric Menjivar said during the town hall on behalf of Caltrans. “You will still be seeing some crews out there. Our crews will be working along Pacific Coast Highway, repairing some … infrastructure that was damaged by the fire.”