BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Caltrans has announced in a press release that State Route 178 through the Kern River Canyon will be closed for at least the next several months.
According to officials with Caltrans and the US Army Corps of Engineers, on Saturday, May 27, the 178 was "overwhelmingly impacted by the Kern River" and had to be closed at that time.
Caltrans says they tried to continue allowing traffic in a reduced capacity, but observed the roadway conditions getting worse. An emergency Caltrans project team consisting of personnel from the construction, maintenance engineering, geotech, and field maintenance divisions assessed the 178 and determined that the entire road needed to be closed.
At this time, Caltrans does not expect to be able to fully reopen the 178 any time within the coming months, but says a one-way traffic control system is expected to be in place within the next 2 to 4 weeks.
Caltrans says the repairs are currently in the planning stages, but that the first phase of the work, which they expect to launch within the next 2 weeks, will be focused on stabilizing the roadway between Bakersfield and Lake Isabella so they can safely open a traffic lane.
