TOPANGA CANYON—Caltrans closed Topanga Canyon Boulevard, also known as Route 27, one lane at a time until Friday, April 26. The closure began on April 23 and continued through Friday, April 26 between Santa Maria Road and Hillside Drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) announced on social media.
According to Caltrans, as work crews alternate closing the northbound and southbound lane, one-way traffic control measures will be in affect as they trim trees and clear brush along the two-mile stretch of the highway.
Delays occurred during the five-hour closure during the day and Caltrans advises using alternative routes.
Caltrans also advises driving safely around work zones.
“Speeding in a work zone is like gambling with lives,” said Alisa Becerra in a press release from Caltrans. “In the last five years, over 3,000 people nationwide lost their lives in work zone collisions and more than 85 percent of them were the motoring public. Speed was a factor in 28 percent of those crashes.”
Laurie Berman, Caltrans Director, called a safety summit following the death of a Caltrans worker and four contractors in 2018. As a result, three new safety initiatives are being implemented to end work zone fatalities including: reducing work-zone speeds by 10 mph, allowing more space between workers and traffic and expanding work windows to provide work crews more flexibility to work safer and get projects done faster.
