Damaged structures from the Palisades Fire are seen Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. The fire, which has burned thousands of acres, began Tuesday and continued on Wednesday.
Los Angeles, California- Gov. Gavin Newsom announced this week that the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) will reopen to public traffic with one lane in each direction by the end of May — weeks earlier than previously expected — following January’s devastating Palisades Fire.
The iconic coastal highway, a lifeline for residents and tourists alike, has remained closed to the public since the deadly wildfire swept through communities in western Los Angeles County. Until now, access has been limited to residents in the burn zone, essential businesses, and emergency crews.
Newsom described the reopening as a major milestone in recovery efforts and a critical step in supporting coastal tourism and businesses ahead of the busy summer season.
“This is an all-hands-on-deck effort to restore a vital transportation corridor and support the economic engine that is California’s coast,” Newsom said in a statement.
The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), Caltrans, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are coordinating a massive cleanup effort to prepare PCH for safe public use. According to the governor’s office, more than 100 USACE crews are operating around the clock to remove debris from burned properties. The teams, equipped with excavators, metal crushers, and dump trucks, are currently hauling away nearly 1,284 truckloads of debris each day.
All heavy equipment relies on PCH for haul routes, making the cleanup both logistically complex and crucial to the road’s reopening. Once the debris is cleared, crews will repair damaged roadways, install new utility infrastructure, and remove toxic materials such as ash and soot.
The $1 billion cleanup and reconstruction effort follows a fire season that destroyed hundreds of homes and structures across the wildland-urban interface of Los Angeles.
Security checkpoints at the north and south ends of the highway closure will be removed once the road reopens. However, law enforcement officers from state and local agencies will remain in place to ensure safety and facilitate traffic flow.
PCH is a key transportation artery linking Los Angeles with coastal communities including Pacific Palisades and Malibu, and its reopening is expected to alleviate traffic and bolster regional recovery.
“Our goal is to restore this vital link as quickly and safely as possible,” said a spokesperson for Cal OES. “Summer is coming, and California’s coast needs to be open.”
