ROAD CLEANUP MAKES HEADWAY; COUNTY, LOCAL OFFICIALS BRACING FOR NEXT BOUT.

Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Daily News Staff Writer

Rock, mud and muck were cleared Tuesday from Sierra Highway, opening that route to traffic, but another Newhall road at the base of an unstable slope remains closed, the city's street supervisor said.

The pre-storm preparation and post-storm cleanup continued Tuesday as Santa Clarita and Los Angeles County crews monitored roadways, cleared drainage facilities and monitored erosion in local riverbeds.

``We're cleaning up from the last one and preparing for the next one,'' said streets supervisor Dennis Welch.

Indeed, the National Weather Service predicted showers this morning and on and off through Friday, with heavy rain expected Saturday and Sunday.

To prepare for the next deluge, county workers called by the city shored up the banks of the Santa Clara River in Saugus to protect a new bike trail and to guard against flooding on Soledad Canyon Road, said Dennis Morefield of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.

``They're putting rock along the embankment to make sure it doesn't erode and cause some serious damage,'' Morefield said. ``It was an emergency measure.''

Sierra Highway, closed south of San Fernando Road, was the scene of mud and rock slides following the rainy weekend, conditions that forced its closure as an alternate to the heavily trafficked Antelope Valley Freeway.

``The section in the county's jurisdiction is still being worked on,'' Welch said. ``We had mud and rock across the road about a foot deep. It's been closed since the last rain.''

Wiley Canyon Road south of Wabuska Drive in Newhall will remain closed until there are three days without rain, Welch said.

``I have a geologist's report that says if it rains more than three days it has to be closed and it can't reopen until there is no rain for three days,'' Welch said. ``It closed Saturday and will open Thursday, only if there's no rain before then.''

Engineers for the city have designed a realignment from the troublesome two-lane stretch of road that winds around a slope geologists say is unstable in heavy rain.

Further storm watch continued at the William S. Hart Pony Baseball and Softball League Complex, where the weekend's rain further eroded two of the facility's 10 fields. Flood waters claimed a dugout and lighting in these final weeks before the spring season opening games, scheduled for Feb. 21.

``I wish I were rich, I'd give those people the money to fix those fields. The kids need them,'' said Santa Clarita Councilwoman Jo Anne Darcy. Darcy has been helping the league secure dirt, rock and equipment to make repairs to the Valencia complex.

Since the rainy weather began, city crews have been working 12-hour shifts clearing clogged drains and muddy roads.

``So far this week, we've had 22 locations around town where there's mud on the streets,'' Welch said. ``We've got most of them cleaned, but it's going to be an ongoing project at least for a while.''

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PHOTO (Color) A Los Angeles County public works crew cleans out a clogged drain Tuesday.

Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News