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UPDATE: 5 Freeway Open Through The Grapevine

According to the CHP the 5 Northbound and Southbound have been reopened between Parker Road in Castaic and Highway 138. 

Update 10 a.m.

California Highway Patrol officers are escorting vehicles through the Grapevine on Interstate 5, after several hours of closures left traffic severely congested.

“It’s backed up and they’re probably keeping it at about 35-45 miles per hour, so it’s probably backing up even more, but at least it’s moving,” said Officer O’Donnell with the CHP Newhall Station.


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The cautions began on the northbound side north of the Parker Road exit, and on the southbound side the escorts have been discontinued. 

“But now it’s becoming more reasonable to to allow people to come across (the Grapevine),” she said.

The Fort Tejon station, which is located north of the Santa Clarita Valley, makes the decision on whether to close the road based on whether ice on the roadway is at safe levels for passage, she explained.

“On the southbound side, it’s completely open,” said Officer Townsend of the Fort Tejon station. “We started escort on the sourth bound side earlier, but the southbound side was in better shape.”

CalTrans still had some work to do on the northbound side, he said.

“It would be my guess that after a couple of groups of escorts, they’re going to open that up, too,” he said. “The escorts take a bit of time. It’ll probably be 11 a.m. by the time it’s completely open with no escorts.”

Letting large groups move slowly through the pass with escorts helps eliminate  the remaining snow and ice, she said. 

“The large escorts will help break up whatever is left on the road,” she said. “All the vehicles are lined up on the freeway and an officer in a vehicle will take people through and keep things from getting too crazy up there.”

According to the National Weather Service the weather will be more cooperative this coming weekend.

“No snowfall is expected for the weekend across that stretch” said Weather Specialist Stuart Seto. “The only thing we see in the forecast is some 20-30 mile per hour wind.”

 

 

UPDATE: 5 Freeway Open Through The Grapevine

5 comments

  1. we would like to know the forcast for travel down I-5 from Eugene, Oregon to Beale AFB in Calif. We will be traveling south on the 25th. thank you.

  2. I-5 south into California on 12/25/14 weather conditions. thank you.

  3. Is the I5 fwy thru the Grapevine completely open today January 22 2017 to pass thru without a problem. I need to get to Fresno, Ca

  4. Is 99 South open through grapevine from Fresno to L.A.

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About Perry Smith

Perry Smith is a print and broadcast journalist who has won several awards for his focused, hyperlocal community coverage in several different regions of the country. In addition to five years of experience covering the Santa Clarita Valley, Smith, a San Fernando Valley native, has worked in newspapers and news websites in Los Angeles, the Northwest, the Central Valley and the South, before coming to KHTS in 2012. To contact Smith, email him at Perry@hometownstation.com.