SoCalGas has joined forces with the Ridge Route Preservation Organization to fill potholes on the 1915 Old Ridge Route. The 111 year old road runs between Castaic and Gorman and is the predecessor to the current day I-5 stretch, commonly refereed to as the Grapevine. This vital link, credited for uniting the state of California, sat largely unmaintained for decades. A group of dedicated volunteers has been working to save it.
Now, in April of 2026, SoCalGas is stepping up to help. Honoring a long time relationship between the pipelines and the road by filling potholes on nearly 12 miles of the Old Ridge Route.
In the process of pipeline maintenance and upgrades, SoCalGas has been using the Old Ridge Route as a vital access point. With it’s designation on the National Register of Historic Places, the road’s surface itself has special protections limiting weight, type or repairs and materials. The delivery of equipment and use of heavy machinery has created expected wear and tear. SoCalGas took initiative to repair the damage and go further – filling a substantial amount of potholes on the historic road.
This is not the first time the company has stepped up to protect the Old Ridge Route. In early 2025, the SoCalGas Infrastructure Project Delivery team filled potholes on 6 miles of the road as they were working on access roads for pipeline maintenance. Though the history of SoCalGas and the Old Ridge Route date back even further. Their pipelines and the road have been intertwined since the beginning, constructing the first gas pipeline through the area in 1912, under the name Midway Gas Company. The pipeline was operational in 1913 – the same year the Old Ridge Route was surveyed.
This project was spearheaded by the SoCalGas team, Josh Torres (Project Manager), Ezequiel Avila (Construction Manager), Daniel Kimbro (Construction Manager), Alain Meyer (Construction Manager) Jose Giron, (Senior Supervisor, Pipeline) and Marisol Espinoza (Public Affairs Manager). The work was done by contractor, Henkels and McCoy, led by Edgar Razo (General Superintendent) – and we can’t forget the wonderful crew! Though I don’t have all of their names. If you would like to write a “Thank you” to the people involved, please use the form at the bottom of this post.
This project marks a major step forwards towards the goal of reopening the road. By filling potholes they are protecting the fragile edges of the road’s surface, creating a state of arrested decay. Keeping as much original road surface in tact as possible.
The next steps are to clean up the northern section, focusing our organization’s pothole project on the rougher open areas. Improving access for emergency services and visitors alike. There is still a landslide on the southern side of the road that will need repaired, as well as a failed drainage. We are looking for help with both so please reach out if you want to be a part of saving this old road!
We could not be more thankful to the people that made this happen! I cannot put into words how incredible this has all been and how wonderful the SoCalGas and Henkels and McCoy teams have been to work with.
If you would like to send a “thank you” note to the road crews, please use the form below – they deserve credit for all their hard work!
