COAST CLOSURE CAUSES DAUNTING DETOURS.

Byline: David R. Baker Daily News Staff Writer

James M. Jiminez doesn't commute on Pacific Coast Highway, but like other San Fernando Valley residents, he can tell when it closes.

A single, block-long rock slide on the disaster-plagued road has tied up traffic on the Ventura and San Diego freeways, and even other canyon roads, as hillside and Ventura County commuters seek new routes.

Signs along the two freeways warn motorists that the closure of PCH, miles away, has clogged traffic across the region. Commuters who normally hit the coast farther north, now crowd Topanga Canyon Boulevard, which empties onto PCH just south of the roadblock.

Since PCH closed indefinitely last week - again - Jiminez has spent an extra 30 minutes each day on the road between his Tarzana home and Santa Monica law office.

``Look at that half-hour a day and what it costs the local economy,'' he said. ``It's reduced efficiency at work and lowered the quality of life, because you're not spending that time with your family.''

Almost no one is.

The traffic jams have perhaps lacked the epic scale of their predecessors this winter, when mudslides and pounding rain doubled and tripled commuting times. But they have frayed the already-tender nerves of commuters who thought El Nino's evil whims were finally behind them.

``I'm a little annoyed,'' said Calabasas resident Neala Coan. ``And I can't help but think from time to time, Caltrans, could you please get your act together?''

The tie-ups won't end any time soon. Before it can reopen PCH between Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Las Flores Canyon Road, Caltrans must finish demolishing two hillside homes whose perch above the highway was undermined by the latest rock slide. Then, Caltrans must remove whole chunks of the unstable hillside before opening even a few lanes of the road below.

Long-term problem

``Parts of the hill are still coming down,'' said Caltrans spokeswoman Margie Tiritilli. ``We can't open it up with anything falling on PCH.''

For some area commuters, the delays and detours have come to seem old hat. They get up a bit earlier, mentally adjust themselves to spending more time behind the wheel, and maybe stock up on audio books to pass the time.

Carrie Imai, an administrative secretary at the Rand research organization in Santa Monica, just finished William Faulkner's ``The Sound and the Fury,'' one of several recorded books that have graced her car's tape deck this past week.

``You try to leave work early, but that doesn't happen, so you put the tape in the player and try not to worry,'' she said.

Creative commuting

Like many area residents, Imai has found it easier to commute around the rock slide by sticking to mountain roads, something she learned the hard way. The first night after the slide, she tried taking the freeways back to her West Hills home, leaving work 15 minutes early just to be safe. The trip took more than two hours.

``The next night, I said I'd rather sit on the coast than on the freeway, so I took my regular route home,'' cutting through the mountains on Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Imai said. The time: 45 minutes longer than usual. Now, as more commuters have figured out their own detours, the delay has shrunk to 15 minutes.

It is still enough to cause problems for those who make their living on the road. Great American Stageline, a Newbury Park-based shuttle bus service, has seen the PCH closure screw up scheduled runs into Los Angeles International Airport. Some afternoon trips have come in 30 minutes late, said office manager Cathy Canode.

As the closure wears on, the bus drivers have been able to nail most of their arrival times. Still, the company is advising customers to take earlier buses than they might otherwise, just to be safe, Canode said. And she advises particular caution on weekends.

``If it's still closed, Fourth of July is going to be awful,'' she said.

Faster than usual

Some seasoned commuters have even found a way to create their own silver lining out of the road closure. Malibu Canyon resident Kim Francis has to spend an extra 10 minutes on a detour through the mountains, but loves the scenery she now sees twice each day along Old Topanga Canyon Road.

``You can get carsick, but it's one of the most beautiful canyons around,'' she said.

For a very lucky few, the rock slide may actually have helped their commute. Rob Wells lives in Topanga and commutes along PCH - south of the roadblock. Now a highway normally packed with southbound traffic from as far away as the Ventura County line suddenly has far fewer cars in the morning. If anything, Wells said, he gets to the office faster.

``I can't be too upset,'' he said Thursday. ``This morning on PCH, traffic was beautiful.''

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, Map

PHOTO (1--Color in Bulldog Edition only) Sheriff's Deputy Joe Jeffries gives a motorist detour directions on Pacific Coast Highway at Las Flores Canyon Road.

Michael Owen Baker/Daily News

(2) An electronic sign warns drivers on the westbound Ventura Freeway that detoured commuters may be crowded in among them.

Bob Halvorsen/Daily News

MAP: COMMUTE DETOUR

A landslide on a block-long section of Pacific Coast Highway has sent a ripple of congestion on Los Angeles roads and freeways. Closure of this commuting route has forced motorists to find other ways to get to work, crowding roads for miles around.

Bradford Mar/Daily News