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Some Southern California mountain highways remain shut down for 3-day weekend, but repair work underway

by in News

Storm-damaged mountain highways in Riverside and San Bernardino counties remain closed and under repair Monday, frustrating skiers and snow-players on the three-day President’s Day weekend.

A relatively warm storm last week generated rainstorms in upper elevations, washing out sections of roadways including Highways 243 and 74 in San Jacinto Mountains, and Highway 18 in the San Bernardino Mountains.

All of the highways were under repair Monday through multi-million dollar emergency contracts granted by Caltrans, spokeswoman Terry Kasinga said.

That was in addition to traffic jams caused by weekend visitors — late Sunday a stretch of Highway 38 south of the Big Bear area was closed when an estimated 600 stuck vehicles prevented Caltrans from plowing the roadway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The majority of highway damages was caused by “slip outs,” Kasinga said, where downpours undermine the ground beneath a roadway, causing it to collapse. Some older culverts beneath roadways also failed. And there were rockfalls and debris flows.

In the San Jacinto Mountains, strictly controlled traffic — o recreational or casual visitors — is being used to keep what CHP Officer Darren Meyer called a “delicate balance” to avoid a cutoff of mountain towns and keep residents supplied and able to reach their homes and jobs.

“We are basically discouraging general tourism and snow play visitors for the Idyllwild area — the infrastructure just can’t support the extra people,” he said.

A closure of Highway 18 in the San Bernardino Mountains between Green Valley Lake Road to Big Bear Dam forced the shutdown of Rim Nordic and Snow Valley Mountain Resort, at the height of the ski season, Snow Valley vice president and general manager Kevin Somes said.

While he received several sympathetic emails and Facebook comments, “myself as well as our staff have also received numerous threats, accusations and critiques of our business and business practices,” he wrote on the resort’s website.

“Unfortunately some folks don’t understand. We had some people writing me as if it was my decision to close,” Somes said in a phone interview.  He said the threats were from people who said they were considering legal action.

The resort was refunding orders for tickets made on its website for the three-day weekend and taking other steps for customers, including season passes to be honored at Mountain High Resort, its website said.

Somes said he hoped the resort would recoup through an extended season because of the extraordinary snowfall including 18 inches over the long weekend. Snow Valley employs 350 to 400 people, but right now Somes said it can only bring in minimal crews.

Early estimates for highway openings were expected Tuesday, but Kasinga said by phone Monday that it could be at least two months for some traffic on Highway 243, two to three weeks for partial access on Highway 74, and perhaps a couple of weeks before access on Highway 18.

Whenever those openings happen, they will all be under some kind of traffic control with repairs continuing as motorists move through, she said. Highway 243 had several spots for repair in addition to the large collapses reported near Lake Fulmor and Saunders Meadow Road, she said.

“That’s today’s estimate. It could change tomorrow,” she warned. Engineers are still examining roadways for damage not immediately apparent after last week’s downpours, and there is no guarantee that new storms won’t bring more troubles, Kasinga said.

For the San Jacinto Mountains, closures of Highway 243 and Highway 74 did not completely cut off mountain communities, CHP’s Meyer said by phone Monday.

Residents, cabin renters, business employees, vendors and suppliers are being allowed into the communities of Idyllwild and Mountain Center through CHP traffic controls on Highway 74 in the Lake Hemet area, and south of Banning on Highway 243 for Poppet Flats and Twin Pines, Meyer said.

Scott McCormack, owner of Idyllwild Village Market, said by phone that delivery trucks have been getting through, from box trucks to semis with 40-foot trailers.

“We have been communicating with the CHP and they have been very helpful,” he said. “They are letting everybody up to service the town as best they can, without endangering anyone.”

The road closures are not helping with tourism, McCormack said, but “a lot more locals are coming into the store because it’s more difficult to get down the hill.”

Under repair

Closed roadways and emergency Caltrans repair contracts. Closures in both directions, any access limited and controlled by CHP.

Highway 18: Green Valley Lake Road to Big Bear Dam, $2.5 million, Riverside Construction Company.

Highway 243: Poppet Flat Rd to 10 Freeway and Marian View Drive to Highway 74,  $8 million, Ames Construction.

Highway 74: East Hemet to Mountain Center, included in the $8 million Highway 243 contract to Ames Construction.