Editor’s note: Running through all 21 miles of Malibu, PCH is a backdrop to daily life and community tragedy. We chose to name this series, “PCH: A Perfect Storm” to encapsulate the beautiful scenery and the deadly risks that face those who use this road. The inspiration for the title of this series came from an October 2023 interview with Michel Shane who lost his daughter, Emily, on PCH in 2010.
Gerard Fasel, associate professor of Physics and coordinator of the 3/2 Engineering program, was driving home one night when he said he encountered a “weird smell” — fresh soil.
Fasel was on the stretch of PCH between Neptune’s Net and the sand dune during heavy rain.
Looking ahead, Fasel said he could make out car lights through the storm, though they did not line up the way cars driving inside orderly lanes do.
As he got closer, the reason for the misalignment and the smell of soil became clear, Fasel said — it was the aftermath of a debris flow.
“The headlights were not aligned,” Fasel said. “They were, you know, moved over. People were trapped.”
Weather and PCH
Michael Comeaux, Caltrans District Seven public information officer, said PCH regularly experiences rain washing across the roadway, ponding water on the roadway, and debris and mud blocking drainage and causing flooding.
This can happen before, during and after California’s significant rain events such as during the Feb. 21 rainstorm.
“We routinely have weather impacts on every highway,” Comeaux said. “They don’t always require a full closure.”
Because water on the road increases stopping distance, Comeaux said there are drains on roadways intended to limit the pooling of water. The road is designed at a slight angle so the water will flow toward the drains.
However, these systems are designed to handle a “reasonable” amount of water, Comeaux said — unlike the atmospheric rivers that hit Malibu in early February.
“These were extraordinary amounts of rain,” Comeaux said.
This will inundate roadways and other flat surfaces and take time to drain off.
“We have to be prepared for California as it is,” Comeaux said. “Allow time for this drainage to occur. If we don’t have to be out on the roadway driving, don’t drive, stay home.”
In the case of a mudslide or flooding, lanes could close for a day or longer, as Caltrans crews discover whether a clogged drain is contributing to the flooding, Comeaux said.
Clearing the water and unclogging the drain may only result in the closure of a singular lane for a few hours, Comeaux said.
If there is a large amount of mud or boulders in the road, there may be the need for heavy equipment, which can result in a longer closure, Comeaux said. Caltrans pre-positions equipment before significant rain.
“We understand that it’s [an area weakened due to mudslides or brush fires] quite possibly going to have a mudflow in a heavy rainstorm, so we may have crews pre-positioned there or in a very nearby maintenance yard ready to go,” Comeaux said.
Other reasons for closure include brush fires and collisions, Comeaux said.
Safety Precautions
Debris — such as litter and items falling off trucks — can clog these drains, Comeaux said. Caltrans tries to clear the drains ahead of storms. They will also try to clean them during storms — though mud oftentimes contributes to the drainage problem.
“That’s [mud is] also a real consideration in coastal areas and canyon roads where you’ve got hills and slopes right against the roadway,” Comeaux said.
Rain also causes potholes, which Comeaux said Caltrans can replace both before and during storms. Between Jan. 31, and Feb. 8, Caltrans repaired 1,100 potholes within District 7.
Other Caltrans safety measures include reflective lane striping to increase visibility at night and during storms, retroreflective road signs that do not need a light and crosswalk beacons for pedestrians.
“It is not solely for during bad weather but there can be significant tragedies during bad weather when a driver’s visibility is reduced by rain and darkness,” Comeaux said.
Effect on Commute
Fasel lives in Ventura County and said his commute to and from Pepperdine takes him up and down PCH every day.
Other weather concerns include the sun shining in through Fasel’s windshield during his morning commute. To block the light, he said he often uses a piece of paper or a shade.
Droughts are more common than heavy rains, and when there is a drought, there is less of a worry about weather conditions, Fasel said. There have also been times when fire blocked routes to and from campus.
“If they [emergency personnel] will let you out, you’ve had to drive through smoke where the smokes coming in, and that’s probably been much worse than having to deal with the fog,” Fasel said.
Times that weather has obstructed his commute — such as the landslide, which Fasel said happened at some point over the last five years — make up a very small percentage of his journeys between work and home.
Fires happen rarely enough that Fasel said he considers them “low impact.”
Senior Chay Duangkosol lives in Santa Monica and said her commute includes a 30-minute drive on PCH — without speeding or traffic. If there is an accident or inclement weather, it can take as long as 50 minutes.
In her two years of living in Santa Monica, Duangkosol said she can count on one hand the number of times the weather has affected her commute. Visibility issues are a “once in a blue moon” occurrence.
This infographic showcases Malibu and Santa Monica Road closures on or connecting to PCH from February through March 2024. Infographic by Samantha Torre
Feb. 21
On Feb. 21, Duangkosol said she was commuting to Pepperdine around 3:30 p.m., when the three cars in front of her slowed down unexpectedly because a boulder had fallen onto PCH. Driving home after class, one of the lanes had closed.
On Feb. 21, Fasel said he woke up and made his way to Pepperdine — by 6 a.m., he was past Malibu State Park and had been in standstill traffic for 20 minutes.
“I thought we would have a problem because we have had a lot of rain, and I know the hills,” Fasel said.
People began to turn around, and Fasel tried to take Mulholland to Kanaan; however, Mulholland was also closed. He eventually reached Kanaan, which he took down to PCH, making it to the 76 gas station before being stuck in traffic again.
“Fifteen to twenty minutes later, the CHP came by with this megaphone and just said, ‘Leave; everybody turn around and go,” Fasel said. “I figured something bad happened.”
Fasel said he has stayed at a friend’s house before when both PCH and other canyon roads were closed. After turning around on PCH he had gotten a notification that Malibu Canyon Road had reopened.
“My guess is it’s [Malibu Canyon Road] gonna slide again,” Fasel said. “And then I guess that’s where there’s a big rock slide now.”
Rains saturate the hills around both PCH and Malibu Canyon, causing rock to slide down in the form of mud and rockslides, Fasel said.
Fasel had decided it probably was not worth continuing with the commute as he said he had seen rocks in the road puncture people’s tires.
“Let the hills sleep, get better and then head on and head in on a better day,” Fasel said.
He only includes Decker Canyon in his route in case of emergencies where PCH is closed, Fasel said.
The “Real Danger”
While Duangkosol said she keeps an eye out when it rains for mudslides, rocks and puddles, her main concern on PCH is speed.
“I always stay in one lane — [I] always use the left lane,” Duangkosol said. “For some reason, it just makes me feel better. So, I always use the left lane, and I never go more than 50 [mph].”
In inclement weather, Comeaux said drivers should limit their speed and increase the distance between them and the car in front of them.
“The driver has a central, crucial role in highway safety, and when the roads are wet and slippery or slick, it takes extra time for a vehicle to stop,” Comeaux said.
California’s basic speed limit law states that a driver must not drive above a reasonable speed for the conditions they are facing, Comeaux said.
“For some drivers. It’s hard for them to understand that, in some situations, a reasonable speed is very slow — much slower than the posted speed limit,” Comeaux said.
For example, Comeaux said, roadways with a lot of water affect the speed of braking.
“It’s going to take them a lot longer to stop, and they might hit another vehicle, a person, a tree, a building — all kinds of adverse consequences from that,” Comeaux said.
Car accidents affect his commute more often than inclement weather, Fasel said.
“The real danger on the Pacific Coast Highway is not Mother Nature,” Fasel said. “It’s the people driving erratically.”
For example, Fasel said other drivers have pushed him into the opposite lane of traffic.
“The people on the [Pacific] coast highway are much worse than anything Mother Nature can throw at us,” Fasel said.
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Email Samantha Torre: sam.torre@pepperdine.edu
