Highway reopens after cleanup
Crews work overnight to clear mud and boulders early Tuesday after strong storm hits Southland
Crews worked overnight to reopen a portion of Highway 38 between Yucaipa and Big Bear on Tuesday morning after it was shut down the night before by mudslides, falling boulders and other hazards caused by heavy rain. Parts of Highway 18 remained closed for several hours Tuesday, but also reopened by late afternoon.
Highway38 was closed before 6p.m. Monday from Valley of the Falls to Lake Williams as nearly an inch of rain fell on the foothills and mountains north of Yucaipa. The storm dissipated that evening, and the road was reopened by 5 a.m. Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Highway 18 between Big Bear and Highway 138 was closed about 9 a.m. as crews conducted follow-up maintenance in the area, California Highway Patrol dispatchers said. People attempting to leave the mountain community were advised to take Highway 38 until the other route was reopened several hours later, at 4 p.m.
Sheets of slick mud and water were seen rushing across large sections of two-lane mountain roads in photos posted to social media by Caltrans during the storm Monday. The area is surrounded by recently exposed slopes that were scorched by the El Dorado and Apple fires last year. As a result, the area is prone to debris and rock flows whenever rain falls.
“We kind of knew it was coming so we were proactive and closed early,” Caltrans District 8 spokesman Eric Dionne said. “Some mud did come down in areas where it normally doesn’t, and that’s due to the recent burn scars.”
No injuries or crashes were reported in the area, Dionne said. He added that maintenance crews removed more than 1,000 cubic yards of mud from the roadway overnight.