Summer travel plans for Los Angeles residents face a new wave of disruptions as significant construction projects are slated to begin on the Pacific Coast Highway and Topanga Canyon Boulevard. These necessary repairs follow the devastation left by the Palisades Fire.
Caltrans officials have announced that extensive efforts will focus on an 11-mile section of the PCH, stretching from Temescal Canyon Road in Pacific Palisades to Carbon Beach Terrace in Malibu. This work aims to restore essential infrastructure compromised by the fires and the ensuing mudslides.
The scope of these repairs encompasses damaged roadways, bridges, and retaining walls—wounds inflicted by the wildfire that ravaged the region in January 2025. Additionally, restoration efforts will address compromised drainage and electrical systems.
Drivers should prepare for weekday closures from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring reduced speed limits ranging between 25 and 35 mph. These restrictions will impact sections from Temescal Canyon Road to Sunset Boulevard and from Sunset Boulevard to Carbon Beach Terrace.
Further traffic controls will be implemented on Topanga Canyon Boulevard, with one-lane operations scheduled to run Monday night through Saturday morning, from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., between Happy Trail and the PCH.
Drivers are cautioned to slow down and be alert with stretches of the roadway down to 15 mph.
PCH and Topanga Canyon Boulevard finally reopened months after the Palisades Fire burned thousands of homes. They are currently only open during intermittent times with speed zones reduced as construction work continues.
On the PCH (SR-1) traffic controls remain in place along the 8.5-mile stretch between Chautauqua Boulevard in Los Angeles and Carbon Beach Terrace in Malibu.
Topanga Canyon Boulevard (SR-27) also reopened to drivers between 5 a.m. and 11:59 p.m., with traffic controls in effect over a 3.6-mile stretch between PCH and Grand View Drive.
The 2025 wildfires caused massive damage along with the PCH, leveling thousands of structures along the Malibu coast and downing utility power poles and powerlines, resulting in full closures of the highways for months.
The fires weakened the soil and vegetation, leading to massive rock slides in the area.
Storms in 2026 further eroded the land, resulting in road closures after parts of Topanga Canyon Boulevard were washed out once again.
Officials said drivers who must travel while the work is in progress should plan for delays or use alternate routes. Real-time traffic controls can be found on Caltrans Quickmap.