As local residents are aware, Highway 18 has been closed between Green Valley Lake Road and Snow Valley Ski Resort, an area also known as “13 Curves”, due to damage caused from the Valentines Day storm on February 14, 2019.
Cal Trans District 8 Public Information Officer, Terri Kasinga, stated that Cal Trans currently has a 2.5 million dollar emergency contract to make repairs to the damaged locations on Highway 18. She stated that there are several areas with damage from the storm, but there are two locations in this area that have a “full slip-out under the road bed”. The damage requires a complete replacement of the road and possibly the addition of culverts in those areas or replacement of culverts.
The preliminary estimate on the repairs and opening of State Highway 18 is two weeks. Cal Trans has also decided to keep Highway 18 closed from Big Bear down to Snow Valley, for the safety of the public and residents, as it would be very difficult to get in there with proper equipment if a rescue were necessary. You can hear all the details in the video report below.
This video report sponsored by Goodwin’s Market and the historic Sky Forest Inn.
Video credit, Sergey Astakhov and Northgate Entertainment
Thanks for getting hwy. 18 repaired as soon as possible.