Drivers hoping the Angeles Crest Highway would bounce back quickly from the holidays are out of luck. Caltrans says roughly 30 miles of State Route 2 in the San Gabriel Mountains will stay closed after Christmas week storms chewed away parts of the roadway. The shutdown, in place for about a month, has severed direct access between Newcomb's Ranch and the Big Pines Highway, cutting off popular trailheads and some resort approaches. Crews are on the ground, but officials say several badly damaged areas remain hard to reach, so there is still no target date for reopening.
Speaking with ABC7, Caltrans spokeswoman Monica Ruvalcaba said the agency has closed SR 2 "indefinitely" between Newcomb's Ranch and Big Pines Highway. Planned repairs include clearing debris, rebuilding washed-out sections of roadbed, and shoring up soil and slide embankments. She noted that some of the worst damage is in areas crews still cannot safely access, which makes it tougher to fully assess the destruction or pin down a repair schedule. In the meantime, residents and visitors are detouring onto other mountain roads to reach ski areas and trailheads.
Debris and heavy equipment cleanup
Photos and agency video that show huge boulders, torn-up asphalt, and heavy machinery clawing away at slide debris ran alongside coverage by the Los Angeles Times, underscoring how rough the damage is. Local TV crews have also captured loaders working through rockfalls near Windy Gap and other spots where sections of pavement have been undermined.
Price tag and timeline
Caltrans has pegged the initial repair bill at about $16.8 million and has warned that the number will probably grow as crews gain access to more damaged areas, according to ABC7. Stabilizing slopes and rebuilding washed out embankments requires staged work and plenty of heavy equipment, and officials say they are prioritizing thorough, safe repairs over a fast reopening. With more winter weather still possible in the mountains, the closure could easily last into the spring.
Recent repair history
The latest closure lands just months after a major fix on the same route. Caltrans reopened a 10-mile stretch of SR 2 last August following about $7.9 million in emergency repairs. That project rebuilt slopes, replaced a damaged drapery system and upgraded drainage. Even so, back-to-back stormy winters and runoff from burn scars have left the highway repeatedly exposed. Officials say the new round of work will require similar slope stabilization over a longer distance and could end up costing significantly more.
What to know before you go
For now, travelers and hikers are being told to assume SR 2 is closed through the affected segment and to map out alternate routes. Local traffic coverage continues to show crews pushing rock and mud off the highway. NBC Los Angeles has likewise shown workers clearing slides and has urged anyone heading into the mountains to check current road conditions first. For the latest information on closures, detours and safety advisories, Caltrans updates and local traffic bulletins remain the go to sources.
