The Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) partially reopened on Monday, nearly a month after the Palisades Fire forced its closure, according to Los Angeles County officials.
“Essential traffic only is strongly encouraged,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said in a statement.
She also warned that ongoing cleanup efforts and utility repairs mean that “this will not be the same PCH as before the fires.”
The scenic route, which hugs the California coastline, had been shut down since early January when the blaze tore through upscale Los Angeles neighborhoods, leaving a trail of destruction from the hills to the shoreline.
Traffic resumed at 8 a.m. with restricted access, allowing only one lane in each direction from Santa Monica to the Ventura County border….