Pacific Coast Highway to Reopen Friday

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

A stretch of Pacific Coast Highway between Chautauqua Boulevard in Pacific Palisades to Carbon Beach Terrace in Malibu that has been restricted to residents, contractors, first responders and essential businesses will reopen to all drivers on Friday, May 23, at 8 a.m. Governor Gavin Newsom announced Thursday, May 22.

Newsom originally announced a plan to reopen PCH by the of the end of May, with one lane open in each direction. The Friday opening comes “ahead of schedule,” with “up to two lanes in each direction available to travelers.”

“A robust security presence will remain at the neighborhood level following the highway reopening,” according to Newsom. “Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has directed LAPD to continue its increased deployment in the Palisades, including staffing check points 24 hours a day.”

Newsom, Bass and Councilmember Traci Park confirmed in a joint statement sent May 22 that when PCH reopens, “access into the Palisades will remain restricted to residents, business owners, employees and contractors only.”

“With the reopening of Pacific Coast Highway, the number of checkpoints into the Palisades will increase from five to 16,” according to the statement. “The California Highway Patrol will also continue providing increased patrols of the Palisades.”

Park will hosted a virtual town hall on Thursday, May 22, to discuss “security” and “access transition.”

“I’m grateful to Governor Newsom and the state for their unwavering partnership in keeping the Pacific Palisades safe over the past four and a half months,” Park said. “The reopening of PCH marks an important milestone in our recovery, but the work is far from over. As we enter this next phase, safety must remain our top priority—for residents, workers and everyone traveling along the coast. I look forward to continuing this collaboration as we accelerate our rebuilding work.”

The checkpoints into the Palisades will be moved from PCH to the arterial streets. Bass confirmed a “very, very high deployment” of 100-plus LAPD officers, with seven California Highway Patrol officers responsible for patrolling PCH. LAPD Chief Dominic Choi said that 48 private security officers will also be added in about a week or so in three, nine-hour shifts.

Existing access passes will be accepted at the checkpoints, Choi explained during the town hall. Access passes will be available at the Disaster Recovery Center at UCLA Research Park, located at 10850 Pico Boulevard, Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. until May 30, when it closes.

A new location for pass pickup will become available starting June 2 in West LA on a city-owned property, with the exact address to be announced before then. To pick up a pass, an ID and proof of residency, business ownership, employment or contract is required.

Choi described this as a lifting of restrictions but not a full reopening of the highway, noting that there would be congestion: “If you don’t need to be on PCH, this is not a time to get on PCH,” he said.

Following the highway reopening, repair work will continue, according to the statement from Newsom, Bass and Park, with a 25 MPH speed limit between Temescal Canyon Road and Carbon Beach Terrace to remain in effect, according to Caltrans.

“Due to the volume of traffic expected over the holiday weekend and ongoing construction, drivers should expect delays on PCH,” the statement continued. “Please allow extra time for travel or find an alternate route to your destination. Caltrans and CHP remind drivers that traffic fines can be doubled in an active work zone.”

The following restrictions will also be in place, according to Caltrans:

• “On northbound PCH, the right lane is closed near Tuna Canyon, Pena and Las Flores Canyon roads to allow Southern California Edison to underground power utilities for further resiliency.
• On southbound PCH, the right lane is subject to closure between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily for debris removal and repair work.
• Signals will be turned on from the California Incline through Topanga Canyon Boulevard and from Las Flores to Carbon Canyon roads. The flashing red signal at Big Rock Road will remain to help drivers turning left.
• There will only be one lane through the McClure Tunnel from westbound I-10 to northbound PCH.
• There is no parking or stopping allowed in the work zone. Please remember that there may be slow vehicles moving in and out of the lanes. Law enforcement will be citing motorists.”

This is a developing story, as updates are available, they will be added. Information was added at 5 p.m. on May 22 from Councilmember Traci Park’s virtual town hall.