Grapevine Reopens Tuesday After Extended Closure Due To Snow, Ice
LEBEC (CBSLA) – The 5 Freeway through the Grapevine reopened early Tuesday afternoon after closing for more than a day because of treacherous icy and snowy conditions.
Caltrans reported just before 12:30 p.m. Tuesday that both sides of the freeway had partially reopened between Castaic and Grapevine. There was no estimate on when the freeway might reopen.
The 12-mile stretch had been mostly closed since early Monday morning due to the second in a series of three winter storm fronts.
It reopened for a few hours on Monday afternoon, but then closed again a short time later.
Several truckers were caught by surprise as they got stranded in Castaic.
"Just caught off guard, they didn't post anything online, or anything, about the weather, it just happened," trucker Dan Jillis told CBSLA Monday night.
Traffic was backed up for miles Monday night as California Highway Patrol was turning drivers around in Castaic.
"I had to really slow it down, started seeing a lot of ice on the ground, started skidding a little bit," trucker Cesar Ferreria, who was driving a big-rig carrying 75,000 pounds of groceries through the Grapevine just before it closed, told CBSLA Monday.
The storm, meanwhile, brought light snow to the several foothill communities, including Jurupa Valley and Beaumont.
The Southland as a whole was expected to see drier conditions Tuesday before a much wetter storm system arrives Wednesday and will remain through Friday.
Los Angeles County health officials issued a cold weather alert through Thursday for the mountains and Antelope Valley, and through Tuesday for the Santa Monica Mountains and the Santa Clarita Valley.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
