It seems as if every few weeks something happens on the southbound I-5 to completely bring the entire Newhall Pass -and much of the SCV as a result- to a standstill.
Last time it was spilled pomegranates. This time it’s cardboard. What’s it going to be next? Nerf balls? Tickle Me Elmos?
The southbound lanes of Interstate 5 in Sylmar were blocked Tuesday morning after a big rig flipped over near the Newhall Pass.
The 4 a.m. accident near the Roxford Street exit spurred the California Highway Patrol to issue a SigAlert about 20 minutes later.
Although all lanes of the southbound freeway were closed, CHP officers were directing traffic onto the right shoulder to allow cars to move, said CHP Officer Anthony Martin.
The big rig was leaking diesel, he said.
CHP officers initially estimated the freeway would be opened two hours after the accident but later changed the status of the reopening to “undetermined,” Martin said.
The cause of the big-rig crash was under investigation.
Five years ago there were reports that someday a freeway & tunnel might be built from the 14 to the 210, allowing the AV and SCV to bypass the Newhall Pass altogether. But I haven’t seen anything on that in several years. In the 1960s, I recall there was a CalTrans proposal to build a highway through or near Towsley Canyon, but that (thankfully) never happened.
It’s pretty clear now that no alternate highway systems are coming; we’re going to be stuck with the vulnerable Newhall Pass even as we add more people to the SCV and the Antelope Valley.
It’s too bad we don’t have a rail option from the SCV to the west San Fernando Valley & West Los Angeles.
Comments (13)