CREWS FRANTICALLY CLEAN UP STORM-DAMAGED ROADS.Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer Work crews scrambled Thursday to repair the most badly needed of the storm-damaged storm-damaged streets and highways, and officials warned that it might take a year to make some of the fixes. Workers labored around the clock in an effort to reopen the Ventura Freeway The Ventura Freeway is a freeway in southern California running from Ventura to Pasadena. It is the principal east-west route through Ventura County and in the southern San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. at La Conchita by noon today, although northbound traffic will be restricted to one lane at that location and at State Route 33. Traffic along the Golden State Freeway The Golden State Freeway is a north-south freeway running through Kern County and Los Angeles County, California. Originally built as U.S. Highway 99, it was re-signed as Interstate 5 in 1964. north of Santa Clarita may be rerouted for months while Caltrans fixes a structural problem the heavy rains caused under one of California's main north-south routes, officials said. It could take a year to repair Bouquet Canyon and San Francisquito Canyon roads in Santa Clarita. And officials can't even predict when Topanga Canyon Boulevard will again be open between Woodland Hills and Malibu. ``They're busting their backs right now,'' said Ken Pellman, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works (LACDPW) is responsible for the construction and operation of Los Angeles County's roads, building safety, sewerage, and flood control. . ``They're going insane ... They're working extremely hard right now.'' Frustrated by his own efforts to navigate Los Angeles' streets, county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky called on city officials to deploy more traffic control officers and prioritize pothole pothole, in geology, cylindrical pit formed in the rocky channel of a turbulent stream. It is formed and enlarged by the abrading action of pebbles and cobbles that are carried by eddies, or circular water currents that move against the main current of a stream. repairs to ease what he called ``gridlock Gridlock A government, business or institution's inability to function at a normal level due either to complex or conflicting procedures within the administrative framework or to impending change in the business. from hell.'' ``I was pretty perturbed per·turb tr.v. per·turbed, per·turb·ing, per·turbs 1. To disturb greatly; make uneasy or anxious. 2. To throw into great confusion. 3. yesterday at the way the whole region just reached a state of gridlock I have never seen in all my years in this city,'' said Yaroslavsky, who got stuck Wednesday in a 90-minute backup on Wilshire Boulevard. Mayor James Hahn's office announced Thursday that it was beefing up traffic control to reduce the number of problem areas, particularly the Westside. Deputy Mayor Brian Williams said workers had filled 700 of the 1,200 potholes reported and pledged that the rest will be done by Sunday, with those on major streets fixed first. Massive rains over the past 15 days have eroded roads and sent mud and debris onto streets, wreaking havoc on the transportation system in a way reminiscent of the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. Caltrans officials estimated that road repairs would cost $50 million statewide, while the county estimated $50 million in public works' costs, mainly due to roads repairs. The city has not yet estimated street repair costs. ``We're still in the response mode,'' said Greg Renick, a spokesman for the Governor's Office of Emergency Services emergency services Emergency care '…services …necessary to prevent death or serious impairment of health and, because of the danger to life or health, require the use of the most accessible hospital available and equipped to furnish those services' . ``It's too early to estimate preliminary costs on the storms and their impact.'' The San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. was especially hard-hit as Laurel, Coldwater and Topanga Canyon boulevards were shut down - all are popular routes for commuters. Coldwater Canyon and Laurel Canyon reopened Thursday, although segments are still subject to reduced speed limits, Hahn said. Mulholland Drive at Coldwater Canyon is still closed to eastbound traffic due to mudslides, officials said. Metrolink will continue running buses from three Ventura County train stations until the end of the month when the track, owned by Union Pacific, can be fixed, a Metrolink spokeswoman said. Two of five Union Pacific Railroad Union Pacific Railroad, transportation company chartered (1862) by Congress to build part of the nation's first transcontinental railroad line. Under terms of the Pacific Railroads Act, the Union Pacific was authorized to build a line westward from Omaha, Nebr. routes in and out of the Los Angeles Basin The Los Angeles Basin is the coastal sediment-filled plain located between the peninsular and transverse ranges in southern California in the United States containing the central part of the city of Los Angeles as well as its southern and southeastern suburbs (both in Los Angeles will remain closed for an undetermined period, a spokesman said. Staff Writer Amy Raisin-Darvish and The Associated Press contributed to this story. Lisa Mascaro, (818) 713-3761 lisa.mascaro(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: An aerial view shows the La Conchita landslide and the closed Ventura Freeway, top. Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press |
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