Oops! County Tells Public To Use Rambla Pacifico To Get To PCH From Topanga – Then Retracts Advice
Written by 991KBU on February 20, 2025
L A County has withdrawn an erroneous message that it sent out today, a message that public traffic could use a shortcut between Topanga Canyon and Malibu that could have sent traffic down a street that is so steep that the city gave it away … for fear of crashes.
We’re talking about Rambla Pacifico … or at least. … the bottom part of that street.
At midday today, LA County announced that Rambla Pacifico had been opened for traffic avoiding the road closures at Tuna Canyon — a direct route around the closure of Topanga Cantyon Boulevard.
Rambla Pacifico is steep … a 20 percent grade. That’s two and a half times steeper than Kanan Dume Road … which is closed to trucks because of the danger.
Rambla Pacifico is so steep that the city gave it away … 30 years ago … to a group of homeowners. They rebuilt the very steep road … put electric gates at either end … and it functions today as a gated private road. Residents only.
At least … until today. At midday today … L:A County reopened the network of roads up above the gated portion of Rambla Pacifico.
These are the public roads that connect from Malibu Canyon … up Piuma …. and over to Topanga Canyon.
And they connect to the private portion of Rambla Pacifico.
If this were correct … it would have offered a way to get from Topanga to Santa Monica without enduring the traffic on the 101 and 405.
And it could even be used as a back way from Malibu Canyon Road to PCH … beyond the Checkpoint Charlie roadblock.
Both of those backroutes … however … rely on Rambla Pacifico … the private street with the 20 percent grade.
Late tonight … LA County cancelled the road opening announcement.
“Earlier today, LA County Public Works announced the reopening of a portion of Rambla Pacifico Street between Piuma and Las Flores.
“South of the County-owned portion of this roadway, Rambla Pacifico is not a through street. Commuters will not able to use this route to access Pacific Coast Highway.”
