Topanga Canyon Road Work

ROAD HOURS UPDATED 5/30/25 – Hours Extended Again

Caltrans has received several requests to adjust the hours to access State Route 27/Topanga Canyon Boulevard, given the longer daylight hours in summer and the various events in the canyon.

Thus, as of Friday, May 30, highway will be open from 5 a.m. until midnight with continuing one-way traffic control at the damaged portion of the roadway and pilot cars facilitating traffic.

The highway will be closed fully from midnight to 5 a.m.

As construction continues for the water main, undergrounding and walls, these hours may be changed. We will keep you posted.

Emergency vehicle access and evacuation will always be available during an emergency.

UPDATE: 5/25/25, and 5/27/25

TCB is LIMITED to daytime hours 5:30AM-7:30PM with traffic controls + one-way directional flagging between postmile 2.3 & 2.7 due to ongoing work. Expect delays.  No passes needed.

PCH & TOPANGA CANYON BLVD SET TO REOPEN  FRIDAY, 5/23/25 at 8 a.m.

Posting: 05/22/2025  – revised 1:45pm

Topanga Canyon Blvd will continue to be one lane in several sections and will have Intermittent Travel Control ( ITC) in place, which means one lane of travel, controlled either by traffic signal or flagmen. Expectations are this ITC will take place at several locations simultaneously over the course of several months, likely till the end of all road work. That end of road work is expected to be completed at calendar years end, at best.

Travel will be slow going. The work will include the building of two retainings walls, slope stabilization, creek runoff rebuilding, utility undergrounding and then repaving. There are 9 areas of concern, of varying degrees, including the Public Works water pipe repair. The Caltrans retaining wall project, at the water pipe exposure area, is the area and project with the most complicated fix and will require the most time to repair.

Repaving of the upper portion of Topanga Canyon Boulevard from just south of Cezanne to Happy Trail will begin June 2, Monday through Friday evenings, 10 PM till 6 AM.

Additional repaving will take place into spring of next year once all roadwork and undergrounding has been completed.

View TCEP’s Emergency Status Page for updates.

If you missed the Topanga Town Council meeting on March 19, 2025, you can watch the recording below. This meeting featured updates from local officials, SCE and Caltrans regarding the opening of Topanga Canyon Blvd and PCH.  To get the most updated details on the road opening, see OneTopanga story here or visit TCEP’s Emergency Status Page.

If you subscribe to OneTopanga and Town Council e-newsletters, you’ll receive a Zoom link to attend the meeting about one week in advance.

By signing up for the newsletters, you’ll also hear about the latest happenings and local issues going on in the canyon. Get updated news on canyon-wide projects, the environment, wildlife, community meetings, surrounding area events, and more!

Feel free to contact us via phone or email with any concerns you may have, or if you would like to volunteer for a special program that benefits all Topangans.

Email: contact@topangatowncouncil.org
Phone: 310-455-3001

If you would like to directly contact your LA County Supervisor’s Office, email Daniell Vicente.

MOST CURRENT TCB ROAD INFO:

Date: May 16, 2025 at 07:40:00 PM PDT

Via TCEP —

Road Updates:

In a meeting with CalTrans today, 5/16, Caltrans reports their goal is to have TCB & PCH open by May 26. PCH, 2 lanes mostly, TCB, Intermittent Traffic control (ITC). Expect a 25mph speed limit.

Please note, TCB might have several different traffic ITC points as SCE and CalTrans are working in several areas increasing delays.

Caltrans reports they have identified 9 areas that require their attention, Two of which will require retaining walls to be built. Wall construction should start approx. June 1 and could likely last until the end of the calendar year.

Repaving of the North section of TCB begins June 2. 10:00pm – 6:00am Mon-Fri. Expect the typical delays we have all had to endure.

SC Edison is hoping to have the under grounding finished in the lower section in July but might be August.

TCB, PCH, LAS FLORES, TUNA CYN. ROAD ACCESS:

Topanga Canyon Blvd as well as PCH and Las Flores are open to residents with the various Burn Area Access Passes that have been issued. Topangans must have homes within the Burn Scar Area, which is Evacuation Zones 7a & 8b, in order to qualify for those passes. School children needing to get to school and contractors working specifically on homes in the Burn Scar Area can apply for passes. If you do not have children in school, or homes within the Burn Scar Area, you DO NOT qualify for a pass and will have to wait until those roads reopen fully. Reopening is scheduled for June 1st with hopes to open Memorial Day weekend.

*School passes will be honored to get both to and from school.

Tuna Canyon is currently closed. The Army Corp of Engineers plans for properties in that area to be cleared and Tuna Canyon reopened by June 1.

Road Access Pass:

GREEN Passes remain active.

RED, BLUE, and SCHOOL Passes remain active.

Red Pass = Burn Area Access Pass

Blue Pass = Contractor Pass

School Pass allows access both TO & FROM school.

PCH BURN AREA ACCESS PASS DISTRIBUTION – Updated Hours 

Starting May 5th, the new hours to pick up PCH access passes are:

Disaster Recovery Center, UCLA Research Park West – 10850 West Pico Blvd

Monday–Friday, 10 AM – 3 PM at the

SMC-Malibu Campus Interpretive Center – 23555 Civic Center Way

Tuesdays & Thursdays, 10 AM – 3 PM – (Please be in line by 2:30 PM) at

Malibu City Hall – 23825 Stuart Ranch Road

Saturdays, 10 AM – 3 PM (Please be in line by 2:30 PM)

Access passes are available ONLY for:

Malibu, Topanga, and Palisades residents in the burn areas
Essential businesses (e.g., local storefronts, caretakers, healthcare workers, grocery staff, babysitters – eligibility determined by LASD)
School buses
PASS VERIFICATION:

RESIDENTS: Valid ID or proof of address (utility bill, property tax bill, paystub, or bank statement). Each household member must have a pass & display it on their dashboard.
CONTRACTORS: Limited to assessments, security, cleaning, and remediation services. Tow & moving companies require residents to meet them at the checkpoint.
ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES: Verification of business ownership, pay stub, or W-2

Date: May 12, 2025 at 12:09:23 PM PDT

Caltrans Expands Access to Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Plans to Reopen Roadway to All by End of May

Los Angeles — Beginning today (5/12/25), Caltrans, in coordination with local partners, will expand daytime access between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. to Topanga Canyon Boulevard/State Route 27 (SR-27) between Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and Grand View Drive to school buses, parents transporting students to and from school with Topanga Student Access cards and the County Beach Bus service. Topanga residents with burn scar passes showing proof of residency will also have access, as will emergency responders and law enforcement personnel.

The roadway between PCH and Grand View Drive remains closed to full public access for safety reasons as recovery work and extensive repairs continue. In coordination with local, state and federal partners, the goal is to reopen SR-27 to all by the end of May.

California Highway Patrol will check for passes at Grand View. Access through Tuna Canyon Road will close when this expanded access begins.

The following restrictions on Topanga Canyon Boulevard will remain:

• 25-mph speed limit between Grand View Drive and PCH, continuing into the closure limits on PCH between Chautauqua Boulevard in Los Angeles and Carbon Beach Terrace in Malibu
• One-way directional flagging due to ongoing work between postmile 2.3 and 2.7
• No pedestrians or bicyclists allowed in the work zoneNo parking or stopping allowed in the work zone

Caltrans is implementing traffic controls for the safety of drivers, repair crews and first responders through the active construction zone.  Caltrans reminds travelers to use caution driving through the area and slow down for highway workers. Drivers with access should expect major delays on SR-27. Caltrans strongly advises people to allow extra time for their commutes and recommends avoiding the area if possible.

There may be full closures of SR-27 overnight. Before closures occur, Caltrans will issue a news release, notify the Topanga Town Council and post on QuickMap and social media.

• Rebuilding and restoring SR-27 by Caltrans, Southern California Edison, Los Angeles County and other agencies continues, including:
• Building retaining walls at three locations and rebuilding the shoulder and lane where the road was washed away
• Installing new drainage systems, debris flow barriers and larger culverts
• Clearing nine locations where slides occurred
• Repairing a county water line that supplies the Topanga The Topanga Community Center
• Repairing undergrounding utilities

Many of these improvements will also increase resiliency and minimize the impacts of future debris/mudflows on SR-27. These efforts include removing over 35,000 cubic yards of debris, installing corrugated metal pipe to carry debris away from the road from the hill above and building a detour lane around the slip out to protect motorists. In addition, Caltrans is working on a retaining wall that will shore up the road and has cleared culverts to prevent further debris blocking the road.

If you have any questions, please email Topanga@dot.ca.gov.

Caltrans Update: Topanga Canyon Boulevard (SR-27) Fire Recovery and Repair Progress
Safety is the top priority, please stay off closed roads.

Topanga Canyon Boulevard (SR-27) remains closed to the general public for safety reasons between State Route 1 and Grand View Drive as extensive cleanup and repairs continue. Three crews have been working day and night in the emergency repair area. While the closure remains in place, access has expanded to allow escorted school buses during designated times. Access is also permitted to law enforcement for public safety. Caltrans asks the public to heed the closure points and avoid the area for their safety as debris removal and repair work take place.

Caltrans and its partners continue to work on rebuilding and restoring the roadway by restoring retaining walls at three locations (postmiles 2.363, 2.52 and 2.712), the shoulder and a lane where the road was washed away. Caltrans is also installing debris flow barriers and larger culverts and clearing debris from nine locations where slides occurred. Through May, work will focus on a slide area near postmile 2.52 to install a new drainage system and culverts, as well as temporary paving to allow for one lane traffic through that location. Many of these improvements will help minimize the impacts of future debris/mudflows due to the extensive burn scars in the canyon.

Caltrans’ contractor is making good progress on clearing storm debris. Debris removal from the February slides is nearing completion, with all 33,000 cubic yards of mud and debris cleared. To date, all dirt has tested clean. This material has been hauled out to farms in Somis and is also being used to replenish state park land impacted by the fire and storms. The storm that came in on April 26 brought down more debris, but that has been cleared.

The contractor is also conducting boring tests to determine how deep to drive the piles for the walls. Once they place K-rail and install the traffic signals for one-way traffic control, Caltrans can open the emergency repair section. Although there is no specific date, this work is anticipated to be done by the opening of PCH at the end of May.

Extensive utility work continues with Southern California Edison undergrounding utility lines and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works rerouting a water main connection that was exposed when the road washed away.

Caltrans and its partners aim to partially reopen Topanga Canyon Boulevard with one-way traffic control within two months. If you have any questions, please email Topanga@dot.ca.gov

Go to ca.gov/LAfires for recovery resources and information. Get help now.

Photos of cleanup and repair progress along SR-27

Photos of debris flow on SR-27 on April 28

Photos of the first school bust transport on the morning of March 21:

April 21, 2025:  The Palisades High student bus begins transporting to school

Pali High parents who have struggled to get their kids to school since the TCB road closure now have the ability to get their children on the school bus.  The bus transports students from Topanga Elementary to the temporary location at the Sears building in Santa Monica.  The Paul Revere students already have been taking their bus to their school location in Pacific Palisades.  So, it’s a relief for many parents to have a shorter, more time efficient way to get their kids to school.  Those who need Tuna Cyn. access to the private schools in Santa Monica can apply for a Topanga School Access Pass at:  contact@topangatowncouncil.org.  It takes about 2 weeks to process applications once all the documents and photos for the ID card have been received.

The Topanga Beach Bus will resume (limited) service 7 days a week starting April 21, 2025. The bus, which runs from Woodland Hills, through Topanga, to Santa Monica, and back, will stop in Topanga at Viewridge and at the General Store parking lot (traveling South) and Pine Tree Circle (traveling North).

The standard fare is $1.00, while seniors and people with disabilities can ride for $0.50.

Full service will resume upon the reopening of Topanga Canyon Blvd. and PCH. Download the PDF schedule here.