I-5 is closed...now what?

[John316]

So we are in sunny ( ) warm dry California. I-5 is closed until further notice (as I understand). We have a friend in the CHP (he flies a helicopter for the CHP). So we will get his advice, but I thought I would check here. I don't think we have any other option, but to run up the coast.

We are heading north out of Burbank (LA). We will be heading to Sacramento and we have to be there Friday pm. We were going to use highway 14, but I don't know whether that is closed too. Does anybody have a site that tells what the road conditions are?

Any other advice or tips?

Thanks.

God bless,

John

[desi arnaz]

where are you now? why is 5 closed and try 99 up the center of the state right into sacto town

[Ed Hackenbruch]

Check with the DOT.  They should have some sort of site.  Way things are going you might just have to sit tight and wait it out.

[desi arnaz]

http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi

[John316]

Desi, we are in LA right now. Grapevine is closed right now....once we are around grapevine, we are set.

Thanks, Ed. I haven't scoured their sight, but from what I saw they didn't have a real good map...I will double check.

God bless,

John

PS, thanks Desi..

[robertglines1]

I just looked at site said I-5 closed due to snow and 14 open..

[desi arnaz]

99 may be safer though? or do you have to go over the grapevine to get there?

[Sean]

No need to stay on the coast.  If you take 101, you'll start out on the coast, but move inland at SLO.  You can cross over to the central valley on 46 or 41.  Or you can stay on 101 to San Jose (our old stomping grounds), then take 680 east all the way around the bay to I-80, which will take you right into sack-o-tomatoes.  However, I just heard there are mudslides in Santa Barbara, so check the 101 conditions before you depart.

The other option is to head east, and take I-15.  Once you're over the Cajon pass, take US-395 north to Four Corners, then turn left onto CA-58 through Mojave.  You'll have to cross the Tehachapi, which might have some snow, but it is rarely closed.  58 will take you to 99 which will take you to Sac.

Either way, it is a long way around.  The grapevine is seldom closed for long; it will probably be faster to just wait for them to open it.

We've done all those roads dozens if not hundreds of times; shout if you need further.  The state reports all those roads as open and unrestricted right now.

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com

[Sean]

99 may be safer though? or do you have to go over the grapevine to get there?

Sorry to say, 99 does not start until north of the Grapevine.

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com

[Sean]

I just looked at site said I-5 closed due to snow and 14 open..

I would expect 14 from Santa Clarita to Palmdale to be wall-to-wall traffic.  That will be the route the CHiPs will be diverting grapevine traffic.

If you do take 14, don't try to cross back on 138 to Gorman, as 5 may be closed in that stretch.  Stay on 14 all the way to Mojave and then turn left on 58 to 99.

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com

[DaveG]

I'd stay on 101 until SLO like Sean suggested. If you are going further north than Sac, then look me up...gets pretty ugly after Redding.

[RJ]

John -

Come up I-5 to LA, then pick up US 101 NB all the way to Paso Robles, which is just north of San Luis Obispo (SLO). 

In Paso, take the Fresno/Bakersfield exit onto Highway 41/46 east.

Just east of Cholame (where James Dean was killed), take the Hiway 41/Fresno split.

After crossing the pass (all of 1700 ft, but with one really good pull that will drop you a gear or two), pick up I-5 NB again at Kettleman City.

This route will add approximately 2.5 hours to your travel time from SD > Sacratomato, so plan accordingly.

OTOH, if you're not leaving until the wee hours of Friday, the weather forecast is for clearing skies tonight, so the Grapevine may be open tomorrow morning.

If you come thru Fresno on Hiway 99, give me a holler and I'll buy the Pepsi if you want to take a break.  Five Five Nine, Two Six Zero, 4106 is my cell number.

FWIW & HTH. . .

[RJ]

John -

Gotta go to plan C!

During the time it took me to write out & post the above message, CalTrans put up a message that Hiway 41 is now closed between 46 & 33, due to a rock slide.

So, if I-5 isn't open later tonight or in the morning, then stay on 101 to either Hollister (taking 156/152) east to I-5, or San Jose, picking up 680 like Sean suggested.

Be glad you're traveling in a bus - there's wind advisories up & down the state for trailers & RVs.

FWIW & HTH. . .

[John316]

Thanks a lot, guys. Very, very helpful. I think we are going to hope to be able to get through. They are escorting people through there, now, and my guess is that they might open it...but we will see. Sean, thanks for the posts...they helped a lot.

RJ, thanks. Looks like we are planning on camping at the WM parking lot in Santa Clarita. We then have the option of cutting over to 101, or going up on I-5. What did you mean by the wind advisory? Does that mean that in some places they are parking the RV's? If so, we are titled as an RV...what does that mean? Does that mean that we would be beached too?

Thanks again,

God bless,

John

[RJ]

John - 

"TRAVEL IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR CAMPERS, TRAILERS OR PERMIT LOADS"

This is what CalTrans is saying - this primarily applies to S&S rigs, 5th wheels, pull-trailers, 18-wheelers pulling empty box trailers and permit loads.  Doesn't apply to buses, which is what you're driving, even though it's titled as a housecar.  Here's where being in a bus has a huge advantage over the other forms of RVs.

In all my years of pounding the pavement professionally, I never heard of CalTrans restricting buses during poor weather.  Only when they closed the roads to all traffic were buses delayed.  (I've got a couple of really good, real life, "war stories" about this. . .)

Santa Clarita is a good decision point for tomorrow morning after breakfast.

FWIW & HTH. . .