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A landslide has literally ripped a Santa Clarita roadway apar and it’s getting worse by the hour.
It’s happening along Vasquez Canyon Road, where huge chunks of asphalt are buckling and falling apart.
Cracked, buckled and still rising…tonight, this is what Vasquez Canyon Road looks like. A 200-foot stretch of it shot up Thursday, taking power poles and road signs with it. In less than 24 hours, this road was pushed up 15 feet…and now, almost looks vertical.
A Santa Clarita resident Jonathan Lee says, it’s been two days since he’s been unable to access his landscaping gear because the road has been closed.
Lee said, “Not being able to get to my equipment at all could cause and extreme issue for me in the future.”
These photos from Thursday show how quickly the asphalt was lifted and torn apart. From our chopper, you can see where the hillside has opened up and slid down under the roadway.
Lee said, “Mother Nature seems to take its path and you can’t stop it. You just have to sit there and watch until it’s done doing what it’s going to do.”
Geologists are trying to figure out what triggered the slide. Vincent Devlahovich, a geology professor at the College of the Canyons, believes the recent rains saturated the sponge-like rocks and caused them to slide. He spoke with us via Skype.
Devlahovich said, “If we get El Nino like they’re predicting, I read today about a 50% chance, that canyon could be a real mess. 00:40 Once it starts it would tend to happen more easily the second time.” (Sound Under) The engineers need to do some work now and see if they can find a way to get that water out of there.”
This part of the road will remain closed until further notice. Folks who use this regularly are advised to use Sierra Highway as an alternative route.
Courtesy of ozarksfirst.com
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