Some travelers hitting the road for Labor Day Weekend were hit with unexpected traffic delays in Castaic on Saturday, after Caltrans officials decided to close two lanes of the 5 Freeway due to damage caused by the Route Fire.

The fire, which burned more than 5,200 acres in Castaic beginning Wednesday afternoon, jumped the freeway at one point and crews working at the scene determined that some burn damage sustained by the retaining walls could threaten its structural integrity.

NB I-5 two right lanes closed near #RouteFire #Castaic. retaining walls burned; structural engineers must inspect wall integrity before any load is put on lanes. Queue is 11 mi and delay is 90 mins. PLEASE use #US101 or #SR14 instead of I-5. pic.twitter.com/bFGtgtx9aT

— Caltrans District 7 (@CaltransDist7) September 3, 2022

Those living in the area, which has seen heavy traffic all week due to the fire, have seen their day-to-day routines suffer through even more extensive gridlock as a result, with so many people heading to their respective destinations for the long weekend .

“Everybody’s coming in from everywhere,” said Elanit Cleary, who lives in Castaic. “The traffic is so backed up we can’t go to the grocery store. We can’t go to Target. We can’t go anywhere … it’s just crazy, it’s complete chaos.”

The queue of drivers along the northbound lanes, over 11 miles long, added up to a more than 90 minute delay for many heading through Castaic on Saturday, bringing noticeable frustration to many.

“You have thousands of vehicles exiting, there’s only two exits here and they are only one way streets. They are not four-lane highways,” said Arnold Kraft, who plans to speak at the next city council meeting to vent his concerns and express some suggestions to ease congestion in the area.

His main concern is if his hometown catches fire again, located in a region more susceptible to wildfires, since he and his family sat in hour-long traffic earlier this week when they were forced to evacuate from their home.

“If the weather conditions were right, when we had the Sylmar fire years ago, with Santa Ana winds blowing 35 to 45 miles an hour, it would have been a totally different story,” he said. “People’s lives would have been lost.”

Caltrans officials noted that the closure was expected to last through Labor Day Weekend, and urged drivers to use State Route 14 or US Route 101 instead of the 5 Freeway. All Southbound lanes were open to traffic.

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BRIDGEPORT – Work is nearing completion on three retaining walls to address a rockfall problem on a hill along State Route 7 and an adjacent sidewalk in Bridgeport.

Lauren Borrell, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Transportation, District 11, said the work is expected to be completed by October 31.

The walls will be built along a sidewalk next to the south fork in Bridgeport.

Large stones have been falling from this hillside area for many years.

After a recent inspection of the mound, ODOT’s geotechnical engineers found that the slope had a little slip. The walls are built to prevent dirt from falling on the sidewalk or street.

“This is a rockfall rehabilitation project that will place three separate sections of rock protection wall along State Route 7 and Lincoln Avenue.” Said Borrell.

Borrell said because the situation was recognized early, ODOT was able to plan the project and budget for it instead of having to do an emergency repair.

The project is being handled by Bog Construction from the Berlin center for USD 243,724.

The concrete walls are poured in. They are expected to last 75 to 100 years.

“ODOT bridges are designed for a service life of 50 years. As long as these walls are not affected, we expect them to last for some time. “ she noticed.

The rockfall barriers are three different lengths: 132 feet, 508 feet, and 296 feet. They are about 100 feet apart.

While some rocks and boulders have occasionally fallen from the slope in recent years, there was a major landslide a few years ago. Rocks, mud and debris covered the sidewalk area that is between Bridgeport and Aetnaville.

It took several months for the crews to remove all of the debris from this large slide. During this project, the slope was also cut back to avoid additional slides.

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