Coast Highway At Main Beach Road Closure Into Thursday

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — Residents and visitors to Laguna Beach, be advised: Due to the construction work at Main Beach and Coast Highway, CalTrans will be closing both directions of the road into Laguna Beach overnight, Wednesday.

This closure will begin at 8 p.m. and last until 6:30 a.m., according to CalTrans.

Detours are in place for the roadwork, according to the City of Laguna Beach.

"For the safety of drivers using Coast Highway, CalTrans must replace the box culvert as soon as possible," Laguna Beach's city manager John Pietig says.

Read: Roadwork Through Memorial Day To Affect Laguna Drivers, Stores

Construction work to replace a century-old box culvert was set to begin in earnest on April 1. The work will be done in two phases and Caltrans crews will be working double shifts as needed to finish by Memorial Day.

This work schedule is subject to change due to traffic incidents, weather, availability of equipment and/or materials, and/or construction-related issues.

For more information, or anyone with sensory disabilities requiring alternate formats (Braille, large print, sign language interpreter, etc.) and those needing information in a language other than English, please contact Darcy Birden at Phone: (657) 328-6000 or Darcy.Birden@dot.ca.gov

Downtown traffic control will be provided by the City of Laguna Beach and Caltrans 7 days/week to help mitigate traffic impacts due to the long-term lane closures needed to complete the work safely and quickly. Parking on Coast Highway between Broadway and Ocean will be restricted and traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction for the duration of construction. Adjacent businesses will be open during construction.

Caltrans appreciates the public's patience while performing this work, the city said, and they set adjacent businesses to remain open during construction.

The City of Laguna Beach's Emergency and Disaster Preparedness Committee Chairman, Matt Lawson, shared the roadwork's necessity, already delayed since fall.

"Either we do it when we schedule it, or we do it when the road caves in," Lawson said at a recent city council meeting.

"It's going to be Carmageddon," Lawson said. Between winter rains, summer traffic, fall fire danger, there is no choice but to do it in the spring. "It will be an inconvenience for many, but it has to get done."

Signage will be posted to notify drivers of the closure. Work updates will be available via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using the handle @CaltransOC. For traffic updates via Nixle, text LBTRAFFIC to 888-777.