Commuters faced a setback Monday as part of Niles Canyon Road, a section of Highway 84, was closed indefinitely due to serious storm damage near Sunol. A report from the NBC Bay Area detailed the closure of the eastbound direction west of Sunol following an early morning discovery of the damage by Caltrans.
According to the California Highway Patrol, one-way traffic control was implemented just east of Palomares along the roadway, leading to constraints for motorists who frequent the Alameda County route. The partial traffic measures are intended to stay in place until 5 p.m. Monday, after which a full road closure is anticipated. Caltrans' crews are scheduled to return on Tuesday morning to assess the situation further, as informed by an update from the CHP Dublin Area's X account.
*SR-84 Niles Canyon Rd. west of Sunol*@CaltransD4 Caltrans is on scene and providing one-way traffic control until 5:00pm tonight. At 5:00pm tonight a full road closure will happen. Caltrans will return tomorrow morning to reassess. Long term plan to be determined… pic.twitter.com/iHCufdkAFL
— CHP Dublin Area (@CHPDublin) February 19, 2024
The closure occurred after a portion of the roadway along Alameda Creek succumbed to the storm, causing a 'slipout' where parts of the road simply washed away. A Caltrans spokesman said that the damage was spotted before 5 a.m. Monday. This disruption poses a considerable inconvenience to drivers and raises questions about the resilience of infrastructure amidst extreme weather conditions.
The CHP has yet to announce an estimated time for the road to fully reopen, and a long-term plan to repair the roadway remains undetermined. Motorists looking for live traffic updates and detour routes in the meantime can visit the Caltrans Quickmap for more information. With a section of a key thoroughfare compromised, the ripple effects of this closure will likely be felt across the local travel network in the coming days.
