Travelers hoping to abscond to southern California or Las Vegas from the San Joaquin Valley found themselves out-of-luck on Wednesday.
The two key arteries connecting the region to destinations east and south were closed indefinitely by Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol on Wednesday morning. Luckily, things are looking up for Thursday.
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Plowing the news: Overnight snow flurries in California’s Ridge Route led to the shuttering of the Interstate 5 Grapevine on Wednesday morning.
- CHP officials announced the closure of the Ridge Route at 6 a.m. on Wednesday. As of the afternoon, the route remained shuttered to vehicle traffic as road crews worked to clear ice and snow.
- Meanwhile, Highway 58, the east-west connector highway utilized by Valley drivers to reach Interstate 15 to Las Vegas, was similarly shuttered due to snowstorms in the Tehachapi Pass.
Shifting gears: CHP officials announced late Wednesday afternoon that the Tehachapi Pass would reopen, at the earliest, Thursday noon.
- CHP’s Central Division announced Wednesday night that the Grapevine had reopened with law enforcement escorts after snow clearance work concluded.
