School bus with Caltrans escort takes Topanga students to school via closed road

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- For the past few weeks, just before 7 a.m., a school bus has departed Topanga with a Caltrans escort going where no vehicle has traveled for months, unless you're part of the repair operation: Topanga Canyon Boulevard between Pacific Coast Highway and Grand View.

The bus takes a few dozen students who live in Topanga to their school in Brentwood, Paul Revere Middle School. Students say the drive is bumpy and dusty, but worth it.

"It's been a huge help to be able to drive through the canyon, be able to have a much more direct route for us as well as for him, it's less time for him to be sitting on a bus to and from school," said Samuel Peterson, whose son takes the bus.

The road has been closed since the Palisades Fire, and then was made worse by February storms, which caused mudslides in numerous spots. It's closed indefinitely while repairs are underway, which has forced students to take the long way to school on the westside since January -- the 101 Freeway to the 405 Freeway, sitting in traffic for hours.

But thanks to the coordinated effort led by the offices of L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, LAUSD board member Nick Melvoin and Caltrans, one school bus a day can now travel the normal, much faster route.

"Our offices worked together to make sure the school buses had permission to drive on those roads that may be closed to other public access. To a constituent, whether you're a student or a family or a resident, it really doesn't matter whether it's controlled by the school district, or Caltrans or the county or the state, we just need to solve their problem," said Melvoin.

"The other day I went to pick him up and I saw so many kids we hadn't seen for a long time getting off the bus. It definitely seems to have brought the community back together as far as getting the kids to school, all going on the same bus. Getting there on time. Coming back in reasonable time. It's felt more normal in that sense," said Peterson.

This has resulted in more time with family, or doing extracurriculars and homework.

"Thankful that we have this route open again and hopeful that the community can use it more than just the bus soon," said Peterson.

Once Palisades Charter High School relocates to its new temporary campus in the old Sears building in Santa Monica, work is underway to provide another school bus for those students who also live in Topanga.