Caltrans to shut northbound 5 for several nights to repair damage from Route Fire

CASTAIC, Calif. (KABC) -- More than a week after a massive brush fire damaged the roadway, the northbound lanes of the 5 Freeway will be shut down several nights for repairs, Caltrans announced Thursday.

The northbound lanes first will be closed in northern Los Angeles County starting Thursday at 10 p.m. and reopen at 10 a.m. Friday.

They will then close again each night from Sunday through Wednesday, with closures starting just before midnight and lanes reopening 10 a.m. the next day.

The work done during this time will include new paving and lane striping.

Caltrans noted the contractor is under some time pressure to get the paving done on a portion of the roadway that has already been excavated, before a tropical storm reaches the Southern California coast this weekend and dumps heavy rain, leading to potential flash flooding.

Repairs to retaining walls that support the roadway are also planned but that work may not be done until November.

Currently two lanes on the 5 are closed to prevent heavy loads of traffic putting more stress on a roadway that has damaged retaining walls underneath. When this current work is completed one extra lane will be reopened, to have three open total on the northbound side.

The Route Fire broke out Aug. 31 in the Castaic area and burned more than 5,200 acres before firefighters were able to get it under control. The freeway was fully shut down in both directions during the initial stages as the flames encroached upon and then jumped the roadway.

5,208-acre Route Fire in Castaic area now mostly contained