Partial list of requirements for roadway reopening in no particular order:
- Repair potholes which are causing more damage to the roadway
- Rehabilitate and repair damaged drainages
- Mitigate existing landslides
- Increase maintenance frequency to reduce debris on roadway
- Resolve or mitigate land ownership issues at southern end
- Complete Ridge Route plan with the USFS
The Ridge Route is presently closed to through travel from near Templin Highway to the Tumble Inn. This closure has been in effect since January 2005 when a series of severe storms caused three major landslides, severing the roadway. These slides, and others off the roadway, also affected the utility lines that run alongside the road. At the time, the USFS enacted a Forest Order which closed the area, not just the roadway. In time, these pipelines were fixed, the roadway was repaired, and the Forest Order was lifted.
Once these repairs were completed, we had hoped the roadway would be reopened, as it had in the past. This, however, did not happen. In 2005, the County of Los Angeles, who still held title to the roadway since 1934, vacated the roadway instead of quit claiming it to the USFS. This created numerous right-of-way and land ownership problems. Some of these plague the roadway today.
These problems have led to the roadway being in a perpetual closure status. Some have been lucky enough to have both gates open, but this isn’t that common. Our goal is to get the roadway open fully, as it was before. We are currently working with the USFS to determine how this can be done. Various issues, such as maintenance funds and seasonal closures are being discussed. Getting the road opened is our primary goal. If you’d like to help or have ideas that we can explore, please contact us.
