Author: Michael Ballard

May – June 2022 Newsletter

Superelevated curves heading down the north Reservoir Summit grade

Roadway Update

We have some good news regarding the condition of the roadway. Southern California Edison and other contractors recently completed a project to replace some of the wires on their power lines. To make sure the vehicles they used could traverse the roadway and not do any damage, they cleared the roadway. The large rockslides in Swede’s Cut and Serpentine Drive reported in January have been removed. The large boulder that was moved during our August 2021 CUTRR was broken down yet more and moved further from the roadway. The gates still remain closed and the roadway between the gates is only open to non-motorized travel.

CUTRR Events and Online Meetings

Our CUTRR events are currently on hold due to personal obligations. They will resume as soon as possible. We are also working with the USFS to get permission to use heavier equipment / mechanized tools to increase our efficiency. Thank you all for your patience and continued support.

Our online meetings should resume soon. I am working on a date for May at this time. Previous meetings have been quite successful, and I would like to keep that going. Your input has been very helpful. Future meetings will be recorded, as requested through our recent poll. If you miss a meeting, it will be posted on our YouTube channel.

Website Subscription

Make sure to subscribe to our site to get updates on upcoming CUTRR events and Ridge Route news.

Reporting Problems on the Ridge Route

Events such as January 26, 2021 when big rigs tried to travel the Ridge Route and past fires, we thought it was a good idea to have a place to report things. If you see something wrong on the Ridge Route, be it a developing washout, large vehicles traversing the roadway, or things out-of-the-ordinary, we have set up a web page to help you report things on the road. We will pass the information along to the appropriate agencies as needed.

To Report Problems or other issues on the Ridge Route, please use the website below. The web page is also located under our “Current Roadway Conditions” page in the menu.

Reporting Problems on the Ridge Route

Upcoming Articles

Would you like to write an article for our newsletter? We are looking for stories about the road, experiences you’ve had, or information about the history. Perhaps something about the things you can see alongside the roadway, such as the plants and geology. Let us know!

Featured Photo

Swede’s Cut, shortly after opening of the Ridge Route in 1915

Swede’s Cut, is the largest and most famous cut along the Ridge Route. It slices through a ridge at 110 feet in depth. The cut is also the source of many rockslides, due to the steep sides and easily broken sedimentary layers within. We do hope to see it as clear as it was in 1915 someday. With your help, we will make that happen.

New Poll

Greetings All! We are adding a poll to our site to determine if there is interest in recording our future online meetings. Currently, the meeting materials are made online after it is over. If you would like to see meetings recorded, let us know! Poll is also available on the right side of our website.

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Coming Soon
Do you want our meetings recorded?
Do you want our meetings recorded?

Artist Needed

We are seeking an artist! In conjunction with our Ridge Route plan, we are looking for someone that can help us with creating mockups of what we would like to see for the future of the Ridge Route. Specifically, we would like to create “artists renditions” of some of the improvements at historic sites along the roadway which help with fundraising and getting them approved.

Contact us for more details! We can use your help!

Contact Information

March 2022 Ridge Route Meeting

Our next Zoom meeting will be held on Thursday, March 17, 2022 at 6 pm. Join us as we work on our management plan for the Ridge Route and get updates on the roadway.

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAofuyqpz8vH9ag2AdA9TZGrwJvNZU5KlQD

March – April 2022 Newsletter

Ridge Route Update

Swede’s Cut in January 2022. Courtesy – Michael F Ballard

In mid-January, I took a trip over the Ridge Route to survey the damage from the recent storms. The results were very mixed. Like in December, there were many small rockslides over most of the road from Serpentine Drive to Sandberg. None of the rocks were all that large but did create problems for traversing the roadway. The CUTRR work that was done in October was also compromised, with additional material deposited on the roadway making travel nearly impossible for standard automobiles. The good news was there was no section that was heavily damaged by the storms. We seem to have gotten lucky with that, so far. This winter has certainly been a wild one, ranging from extended dry periods to heavy rain and snow.

We are working with the USFS to get these slides cleared and to get permission to use heavier equipment to do some of the work ourselves. We are also working with the County of Los Angeles to help ensure that road closures on I-5 due to storms or fires don’t impact the Ridge Route, as they have in the past. Dates will be announced soon for the next CUTRR event, though due to personal obligations, I may be unavailable to lead the events in April or May.

The gates still remain closed and will for some time. We are working to get them opened on a seasonal basis once we reach an agreement with the USFS regarding some issues with the roadway. They, of course, have the control over the road and the decision is still up to them. We just want to make sure the roadway is available to the public and kept in good order. Without that, we lose a piece of history, something we cannot allow.

Monthly Meetings via Zoom

We have been hosting monthly meetings, open to the public, to talk about the Ridge Route, what is happening, future CUTRR events, and its history. There is a lot going on and things are looking positive for the Ridge Route, more than they have in the past. These meetings will be online via Zoom. We want to get more people engaged in our continuing efforts to reopen the roadway and help keep it preserved. The schedule is still being worked out, so make sure you’re subscribed to our website to stay informed. A meeting in March will be announced soon.

Meetings

Public Forums

We invite all to join our discussion forums, which are now available using the link below. The appearance and registration are still being adjusted, so bear with us. Check it out and let us know what you think! Share your Ridge Route stories and chat with other Ridge Route enthusiasts!

https://ridgeroute.org/forums/

Membership

We are working on sending notices for our members to renew their memberships. We need your support to keep this momentum going and to reopen the roadway. Memberships such as yours help us with this effort. You can join for the first time, renew, or just submit a donation online using our secure website using the link below.

Membership

Website Subscription

Make sure to subscribe to our site to get updates on upcoming CUTRR events and Ridge Route news.

Reporting Problems on the Ridge Route

With all the recent fire activity as well as other events such as January 26 when big rigs tried to travel the Ridge Route, we thought it was a good idea to have a place to report things. If you see something wrong on the Ridge Route, be it a developing washout, large vehicles traversing the roadway, or things out-of-the-ordinary, we have have set up a web page to help you report things on the road. We will pass the information along to the appropriate agencies as needed.

To Report Problems or other issues on the Ridge Route, please use the website below. The web page is also located under our “Current Roadway Conditions” page in the menu.

Reporting Problems on the Ridge Route

Featured Photo

Remains of the 1916 Santa Clara River Bridge

Early in the morning on March 13, 1928, the floodwaters from the collapse of the St Francis Dam reached US 99 at the Santa Clara River. The bridge, a steel through-truss span built by Los Angeles County in 1916, was quickly destroyed and sent downstream. Later, the structure was used to support a gas or oil line, which itself was later abandoned. This structure can be accessed via Feedmill Rd near Six Flags Magic Mountain.