Pacific Coast Highway will reopen this Sunday for the first time since the deadly wildfires ignited. Some residents, however, are concerned that allowing public access will bring crime to the area.
Beginning at 8 a.m. on Feb. 2, PCH will reopen with one lane of traffic in each direction. A 25 mph speed limit will be in place and all traffic signals will be flashing red.
Construction, repair work and debris clearing will continue in the area, so drivers are advised to take caution and avoid unnecessary travel on the road.
Although checkpoints will be removed, California Highway Patrol officers will be stationed every half-mile to ease traffic flow and ensure public safety.
“With hazardous materials throughout the area, unstable burned buildings and utility crews, other workers and heavy equipment hard at work, Angelenos are asked to exercise extreme caution,” city officials said.
As public access returns to cordoned-off neighborhoods, many homes that survived remain uninhabitable without water or power. Some residents are concerned about being targeted by looters or squatters, believing public access to the area is premature.
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MALIBU, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 16: An aerial view of a beachside homes destroyed in the Palisades Fire along Pacific Coast Highway as wildfires cause damage and loss through the LA region on January 16, 2025 in Malibu, California. Multiple wildfires which were fueled by intense Santa Ana Winds have burned across Los Angeles County leaving at least 27 dead with over 180,000 people having been under evacuation orders. Over 12,000 structures have been burned in the Palisades and Eaton Fires. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) -
Homes along Pacific Coast Highway are seen burn out from the Palisades Fire, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) -
A surge of law enforcement will be present as Pacific Coast Highway reopens to the public on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025 for the first time since the Palisades fire erupted on Jan. 7, 2025. (KTLA) -
A crew for Southern California Edison prepares the ground for electric poles along the Pacific Coast Highway near homes destroyed from the Palisades Fire in Malibu, Calif., Wednesday. Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) -
A surge of law enforcement will be present as Pacific Coast Highway reopens to the public on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025 for the first time since the Palisades fire erupted on Jan. 7, 2025. (KTLA) -
Side-by-side images show Pacific Coast Highway before and after deadly fires devastated the Los Angeles region. Captured on April 21, 2020, and January 23, 2025. (Andy Riesmeyer) -
A crew for Southern California Edison prepares the ground for electric poles along the Pacific Coast Highway near homes destroyed from the Pacific Palisades Fire in Malibu, Calif., Wednesday. Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) -
Homes along Pacific Coast Highway are left burned to the ground in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire Monday, Jan. 13, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher) -
Buildings and cars destroyed by the Palisades fire lay along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, on January 8, 2025. At least five people are now known to have died in wildfires raging around Los Angeles, with more deaths feared, law enforcement said January 8, as terrifying blazes leveled whole streets, torching cars and houses in minutes.
More than 1,000 buildings have burned in multiple wildfires that have erupted around America’s second biggest city, forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes. (Photo by Zoë Meyers / AFP) (Photo by ZOE MEYERS/AFP via Getty Images) -
Pacific Coast Highway is reopening to the public on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025 for the first time since the Palisades fire erupted on Jan. 7, 2025. (KTLA) -
Charred vehicles sit along the Pacific Coast Highway, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
A person walks along a beach past homes destroyed by the Palisades Fire along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) -
Malibu, CA – January 15: The remains of beachside homes that burned along Pacific Coast Highway during the Palisades Fire in Malibu, CA, on Wednesday, January 15, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)
“The concern is obviously for security,” said Eric Hoek, a Pacific Palisades resident. “If anybody can come and go freely and we’re not here full-time because the house can’t be lived in right now, who’s going to stand guard and watch over the house so that it doesn’t get broken into?”
“It’s definitely a concern,” said Adam McFarland, a Pacific Palisades evacuee. “I’ve been coming up most days since the fire and it’s bizarre, the sort of people you’d see on PCH coming through town.”
In a Friday meeting, city leaders tried to quell residents’ concerns, reassuring them that there would be “an unprecedented surge of law enforcement.”
“The LAPD will surge a specific presence into the Palisades community to make sure that everyone is safe,” said L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. “If you do not need to be in the Palisades, don’t be. We have a zero-tolerance policy for crime. The LAPD will arrest, and City Attorney Feldstein Soto and D.A. Hochman will prosecute.”
The surge of police will include 66 officers, six supervisors and the use of automated license plate readers.
“There will be police pretty much everywhere driving around the Palisades streets,” said Los Angeles police chief Jim McDonnell.
“Our recovery effort is based around getting people back home to rebuild as quickly and safely as possible,” Bass said. “We are making sure that the Palisades will be safe as residents access their properties with their insurance adjusters, contractors, tow trucks, moving trucks and more.”
“The safety of our community, first responders, and road crews remains our top priority as we reopen this vital stretch of highway,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “We urge all drivers to stay alert, follow posted signs, and respect the presence of personnel still working in the area.”
