Photo courtesy of Caltrans
Winter storms caused massive amounts of damage on State Route 33 in Ventura County, Calif. Construction crews are tasked with making repairs after the highway experienced extensive mudslides, rockslides, erosion to slopes and embankments and several sections of roadway collapsed.
Emergency work operations are proceeding at a breakneck speed to conduct repairs on approximately 32 mi. of State Route 33 (SR 33) in Ventura County, Calif., due to relentless winter storms in late in 2023 that have caused excessive damage to a substantial portion of the highway.
The highway, in a rugged and isolated part of the state with many steep hillsides, rivers and streams, experienced extensive mudslides, rockslides, erosion to slopes and embankments and had several sections of roadway collapse.
Photo courtesy of Caltrans
The emergency funding for this project is valued at $35 million, with the work being divided between four general contractors:
- Staples Construction is covering Post Mile 5.67 to 11.2;
- Union Engineering is covering PM 12.9 to 23.75;
- Granite Construction is covering PM 23.75 to 27.5;
- R&R Demo and Grading is covering PM 27.5 to 57.2.
The work sites in Ventura County are located in the in Los Padres National Forest north of the city of Ojai. The roadway is closed from Matilija Hot Springs Road to the Ozena Fire Station just south of Lockwood Valley Road. A separate section of SR 33 at post mile 14.34 (south of the closure) also has damaged roadway, slope and embankment, which will require moving utility lines. It is under one-way alternating traffic control with a solar powered signal.
Crews are repairing damage to the highway and its slopes and embankments.
"There will be five different locations with one-way traffic control managed by solar powered traffic signals," said Marc Bischoff, a Caltrans public information officer, District 7. "Outside of those five locations, there will be one lane open to traffic in each direction, as is normal. Approximately 32 miles of highway have been closed since January 10, 2023. Repairs and traffic control will extend into 2024."
Four retaining walls, set with steel piles, are being constructed at post miles 14.35, 22.48, 24.78 and 25.55. Major slope and embankment repair continues at multiple locations, including post mile 42.92 and post mile 44.13.
"Some embankments require the construction of Rock Slope Protection using boulders up to six tons each and many of the boulders will be recycled from the slides," said Bischoff. "Some will include the use of geogrid, a geosynthetic material used to reinforce and stabilize the soil and provide filtration. Some slopes will require installation of elevated cable-mesh drapery systems. All guardrail within the closure has been replaced. Drains and culverts have been cleared and are also being replaced. The areas of reconstruction will be reinforced and stabilized with the intent to prevent future highway, slope and embankment failures in the same locations and maintain a safe travel route."
The work is expected to continue until sometime in March.
"[The] damage was so extensive and varied that it had to be divided into four separate sections with four separate contractors to complete it," said Bischoff, who noted that Caltrans officials were on-site from the start to assess the damage and plan the repairs. "Members of the Caltrans [District 7] Geotechnical Division had to review every section of highway in person and through drone aerial video to assess damage that continued to change and increase every time it rained. Then the Design Division had to create plans to repair every section of damage. The Environmental Division had to work to secure permits from five different state and federal agencies."
The ongoing repair effort has been Herculean in scope, with more than 2,000 truckloads of debris having been removed.
"The sections of roadway that collapsed were reduced to single lanes that cannot accommodate two-way traffic," said Bischoff. "Reparation of slopes and embankments is a slow and dangerous process that includes rock scalers and heavy equipment traversing steep inclines. Summer storms also caused additional damage."
Photo courtesy of Caltrans
The work, to be expected, is having a serious impact on local traffic.
"At post mile 14.35, the highway has been under one-way alternating traffic control with a solar powered signal since last spring," said Bischoff. "The slope there will be repaired and a retaining wall will be constructed. AT&T, Southern California Edison and the Meiners Oak Water District will relocate utility lines to allow reconstruction of the roadway and embankment."
Caltrans is urging motorists to be careful when passing through construction zones.
"Please drive through the work zones slowly and with extreme caution," states the project web page. "The normal posted speed limit along this section of SR 33 varies from 20 to 35 miles per hour, but in the construction zones the posted speed limits are as low as 10 miles per hour. Motor vehicles will also share the road with bicyclists."
Caltrans will consider the option of opening at least one lane if it becomes possible as repairs proceed.
"We are aware of the negative impact the highway closure is having on members of the public who enjoy accessing Los Padres National Forest for recreation," stated the web page. "However, our priority must be safety: for the traveling public, our workers and our contractors' workers. Adding one-way traffic control also slows and impedes the repair process." CEG
Irwin Rapoport
A journalist who started his career at a weekly community newspaper, Irwin Rapoport has written about construction and architecture for more than 15 years, as well as a variety of other subjects, such as recycling, environmental issues, business supply chains, property development, pulp and paper, agriculture, solar power and energy, and education. Getting the story right and illustrating the hard work and professionalism that goes into completing road, bridge, and building projects is important to him. A key element of his construction articles is to provide readers with an opportunity to see how general contractors and departments of transportation complete their projects and address challenges so that lessons learned can be shared with a wider audience.
Rapoport has a BA in History and a Minor in Political Science from Concordia University. His hobbies include hiking, birding, cycling, reading, going to concerts and plays, hanging out with friends and family, and architecture. He is keen to one day write an MA thesis on military and economic planning by the Great Powers prior to the start of the First World War.
Read more from Irwin Rapoport here.
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