Pacific Coast Highway to reopen near Malibu after January wildfires

By John Gittelsohn, Bloomberg

An iconic Southern California stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway, closed to outsiders since January’s devastating Palisades Fire, will reopen today in advance of the travel-heavy Memorial Day weekend.

Traffic on the roughly 11-mile (18-kilometer) beach-hugging stretch from Santa Monica through Malibu, which averages more than 40,000 vehicles daily during the summer travel season, has been restricted to residents and construction vehicles since the blaze that killed 12 and destroyed almost 7,000 structures.

The remains of beachside homes that burned along Pacific Coast Highway during the Palisades Fire in Malibu, CA, on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Homes along Pacific Coast Highway sit in ruins after being burned by the Palisades fire in Malibu on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. The Palisades Fire, burning in the Santa Monica Mountains, has burned an estimated 5,300 structures. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Motorists make their way along Pacific Coast Highway near the Palisades Fire zone Monday, Feb. 3, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

FILE – Homes along the Pacific Coast Highway are seen burned by the Palisades Fire, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

Homes in the hills above Pacific Coast Highway sit in ruins after being burned by the Palisades Fire in Malibu, CA, on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. The Palisades Fire, burning in the Santa Monica Mountains, has burned an estimated 5,300 structures. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The remains of homes in the 21000 block of Rambla Vista that burned above Pacific Coast Highway during the Palisades Fire in Malibu, CA, on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Pelicans fly over the remains of beachfront property along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu on Thursday. Many homes along the Malibu coastline were damaged or destroyed in the Palisades fire. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

The remains of beachside homes that burned along Pacific Coast Highway during the Palisades Fire in Malibu, CA, on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG

The remains of beachside homes that burned along Pacific Coast Highway during the Palisades Fire in Malibu, CA, on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Burn scares in the hills above Pacific Coast Highway during the Palisades Fire in Malibu, CA, on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The remains of beachside homes that burned along Pacific Coast Highway during the Palisades Fire in Malibu, CA, on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The remains of a home along Rambla Pacifico St that burned above Pacific Coast Highway during the Palisades Fire in Malibu, CA, on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The remains of beachside homes that burned along Pacific Coast Highway during the Palisades Fire in Malibu, CA, on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

David Crane — Los Angeles Daily News

The remains of beach front homes in Malibu on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. Many homes along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu were destroyed by the Palisades Fire. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

The remains of beachside homes that burned along Pacific Coast Highway during the Palisades fire in Malibu as seen on Wednesday. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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The remains of beachside homes that burned along Pacific Coast Highway during the Palisades Fire in Malibu, CA, on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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“In California, we get stuff done, period,” Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement Thursday. “We’re opening the PCH back up early, with more lanes before Angelenos hit the road this Memorial Day.”

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The road closure has crushed business activity in Malibu, a fabled getaway for Hollywood celebrities and tech titans. The Palisades Fire destroyed more than 550 homes in the enclave, with about $1.59 billion in property lost. A survey found that 42% of Malibu businesses reported a loss of more than 75% of their profits since the blaze as residents and tourists abandoned the area.

The reopened highway, which is dogged by traffic jams in normal times, is likely to be slow going for years as debris clearance and reconstruction continue.

Checkpoints manned by National Guard troops will be replaced with other security. In Malibu, the city council voted Wednesday to hire a private company to start regular, armed patrols to protect property, according to Matt Myerhoff, a city spokesman.

Access into the Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles will remain restricted to residents, business owners, employees and contractors, with police controlling 16 checkpoints round-the-clock, Mayor Karen Bass’s office said in an emailed statement.

“The reopening of Pacific Coast Highway marks an important step forward in our recovery effort in the Palisades, which is on track to be the fastest in state history,” Bass said. “All of us have a shared goal – to ensure residents can safely and quickly rebuild and return to their community.”

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