Monthly Archives: February 2023

Caltrans, District 7, Highways, I-5, Ridge Route, Roads, Snow, The Grapevine, Travel

I-5 Grapevine / Ridge Route Conditions

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Near Cherry Canyon on “The Grapevine”

I-5 between Santa Clarita and the San Joaquin Valley over Tejon Pass is known as “The Grapevine” and formerly known as “The Ridge Route”. It is an important corridor in California and has been so since 1915. Travel over the route can be quite treacherous in winter due to both rain and snow. Mudslides, rockfalls, and ice can all wreak havoc on travel. Collisions can mar traffic for miles. Caltrans, CHP, and the County of Los Angeles work together to ensure safe travel over the route. Sometimes this can result in a full closure of the pass.

To stay up-to-date on current conditions, we recommend the following sites:

Weather Forecasts from the National Weather Service:

Be safe out there and always use caution during winter months when traveling the “Grapevine”.

STATS:

Highest elevation – 4144′ at Tejon Pass

Normal Closure Points:

  • SOUTHBOUND at Grapevine (Exit 215)
  • NORTHBOUND at Castaic – Lake Hughes Road (Exit 176B)

ALTERNATE ROUTES:

If the 5 is closed, alternate adjacent routes such as Lake Hughes Road are not advisable as they may be in worse condition or be heavily congested. Depending on closures, the best alternative to I-5 is via State 14 (Antelope Valley Freeway) and State 58 over Tehachapi Pass. In times of heavy snow, your only option may well be US 101 to State 46 in Paso Robles. Check with Caltrans and CHP prior to travel to make sure these roads are open. DO NOT ALWAYS TRUST GOOGLE. It can lead you down bad or otherwise unsuitable roadways. In January 2021, multiple people including three big rigs were trapped on the Old Ridge Route during a snowstorm when they attempted to bypass a closed I-5. We don’t want you to end up on the news. Always be safe and always use caution on unfamiliar roads.

SPECIAL NOTE:

The Old Ridge Route (Ridge Route Road / 8N04) is NEVER an alternate to I-5 under any conditions and is not suitable for heavy traffic nor is it open to through traffic. It is closed to through travel from Castaic to Gorman (State 138).

California, Event, Snow, Southern California

Road Conditions

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Winter over the Ridge Route in Lebec. Courtesy – Caltrans

Important Road Conditions Links:

For local roadways, there are additional resources available on this site on our Southern California Highway Resources page.

Winter in southern California can be quite an adventure at times. Some storms leave few routes open out of the Los Angeles area to points north and northeast. Some of these storms can really hamper travel out of the area.

In late December 2019, a storm closed State 33, I-5, State 14, State 138, I-15 (in two sections), and many other roads in the region. What road is open? When will it open? Are chains required? All of these questions and more can be easily answered through Caltrans, the State Highway department. They have a really good phone app and website – Quickmap – which gives all this information in an easy format. Caltrans Quickmap has numerous layers that can be added such as traffic speeds, CHP Incident Reports (collisions, hazards, fire information), road closures, snowplow locations, lane closures, CMS messages, and more.

In addition to Quickmap, all the Caltrans traffic cameras are available online at Caltrans Video, some of which are streaming live. I strongly recommend these links to get you where you need to go. Another page, also from Caltrans, covers ALL their available data – Caltrans Commercial Wholesale Web Portal . I use Quickmap quite often even just for basic traffic needs.