POST-DELUGE GRIDLOCK TRAFFIC IS A MESS AS CREWS CLEAN UP.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer

In scenes reminiscent of the aftermath of the Northridge Earthquake 11 years ago this month, Los Angeles area residents faced gridlocked freeways and roads Wednesday while cleanup crews cleared mud, rubble and debris left from a two-week siege of rain.

On a brilliantly sunny day, it was a nightmare getting to work and schools or even running routine errands.

The San Fernando Valley was especially hard hit, with morning traffic backed up for miles on the Ventura and San Diego freeways as canyon cut-throughs to the Westside remained shut down.

The evening commute was just as bad.

``The 405, a parking lot,'' said CHP Officer Tariq Johnson. ``Right now ... there's quite a few closures still in effect.''

Countless streets across Los Angeles County remained closed by flooding and mud as crews worked to dig out the debris.

``This is certainly a significant event. ... The road closures have made it hard for some people to travel to work, to get around and do their normal daily routines,'' said Ken Pellman, spokesman for the county's Public Works Department. ``In that way it's been disruptive much the same way the earthquake was in '94.

The California Highway Patrol reported back-ups on the eastbound Ventura Freeway that stretched nearly to Ventura County during the morning rush.

``The 101-405 interchange was very, very busy,'' said CHP West Valley spokesman Officer Leland Tang.

``I think what happened was ... all the connectors to the Westside - the canyon connectors Laurel Canyon, Coldwater Canyon (were closed). Beverly Glen was overflooded with traffic. Sepulveda Boulevard had traffic as well.

``Everyone got frustrated with those two alternates and went over to the freeway.''

The city reopened Laurel Canyon and Coldwater Canyon boulevards during the evening commute, but at reduced speeds of 10 mph amid risks of falling rocks.

Caltrans hoped to get Topanga Canyon Boulevard opened sometime today after blowing up a giant boulder and hauling it away in pieces.

But huge headaches remain with the 101 Freeway still shut down at the site of the deadly La Conchita mudslide between Ventura and Santa Barbara. The only alternative requires a four-hour detour.

Caltrans hopes to reopen the highway by Friday.

``We have crews working around the clock, working shoulder to shoulder with the fire department and the California Highway Patrol,'' said Caltrans spokeswoman Jeanne Bonfilio.

``We're very hopeful that once 101 reopens ... that will help commuters.''

Even more, the southbound Golden State Freeway was shut down Wednesday morning to one lane at Templin Highway because of pavement damage, jamming the main artery coming into Los Angeles County.

It's unclear when the 5 will get back to normal.

``It certainly is a major north-south artery. We're going to be working very hard to get that open as soon as possible as well,'' Bonfilio said.

The region has been hammered by the 15 wettest days on record after a series of cold storms beginning after Christmas unleashed a fury on Southern California.

The beating has left dozens of streets impassable by floods, mudslides and debris, while others are rough riding with countless potholes.

Road repairs will cost the region millions.

So far, Caltrans estimates it's spending $11 million just on immediate repairs, while the county said it will spend $40 million on roads and other public works repairs.

The city of Los Angeles estimates $10 million in public and private losses, but could not break out road repair costs separately.

``There's certainly work to do,'' said Caltrans' Bonfilio. ``When you consider the hundreds and hundreds of miles of freeways, and the millions of miles that are traveled on these freeways on a daily basis, our freeways held up.''

Experts said the problem Wednesday was a triple-whammy of people getting back to their routines, roads still closed and thousands of Los Angeles Unified School District students back from holiday break this week.

The CHP had urged motorists to stay home during the rains.

``Now that it's stopped raining, people are coming out again. That's for sure a big impact,'' said CHP spokeswoman Officer Rebecca Estrada.

``We did notice that when it was raining toward this last week people were adhering to what we were saying. ... There weren't as many people out there, as opposed to now, when it isn't raining; traffic is (back) to its normal go, as to congestion.'''

The CHP logged 292 incidents from 5 a.m. to noon on county freeways, compared with 246 the previous Wednesday.

Transit service, too, has suffered setbacks. Amtrak has halted its Pacific Surfliner route between San Diego and San Luis Obispo because of mudslides in Orange County and a sinkhole and rocks near Santa Barbara.

Metrolink had to shut down three stations in Ventura County where tracks are washed out by the rains, busing passengers to the station in Moorpark.

Still, Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell said, ridership numbers are up.

``We are able to move people faster than the freeways when there's this poor weather. That gives you some idea how bad those highways are.''

Some said while the destruction wasn't as obvious as the fallen freeways after the Jan. 17, 1994, Northridge Quake, the number of closures across the region had a somewhat similar impact on commutes.

Many roads will remain shut down for some time.

Across Ventura County, main routes between communities are closed, with reopen dates set for weeks from now.

Similarly, Los Angeles County's main mountain cut-through, State Route 2, is shut down at Angeles Crest Highway, as are other routes in the San Gabriel Valley.

County public works crews were getting roads blocked by mudslide and debris reopened ``by the hour,'' Pellman said. But those with structural damage will take longer to repair.

``(The closures are) not going to last months - there might be a few because of structural reasons. The vast majority of the roads are going to be open in days.''

Caltrans said it hoped to reopen connectors between the Long Beach and Santa Monica freeways today.

John Sapone, the city's street services superintendent, said his office has received more than 1,000 calls for pothole repairs - four times normal - and that crews will work Saturday and Sunday to get the job done.

However, other street repairs such as washed-away gutters or alligator cracks will have to wait, and get in line on the city's long list of needed street repairs.

The city had 460 reports of trees or branches blocking roads and was pumping sewage in Eagle Rock to keep it from overflowing into streets.

``We're just asking them to be patient; we'll get to them,'' said Linda Aparicio, a Department of Public Works spokeswoman. ``By Sunday, everything should be looking really good.''

Lisa Mascaro, [phone]

lisa.mascaro(at)dailynews.com

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(color) Traffic on the 101 Freeway in Studio City, above, is still heavy Wednesday evening after the recent storms closed several canyon passes that many motorists use daily. Officials are scrambling to reopen those roads.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer

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SOURCE: State Department of Transportation, City of Los Angeles

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