CalTrans Plans for Weeks-Long Closure of Highway 330, Though No Start Date Announced

CalTrans announced today that a culvert failure will result in the closure of Highway 330 and though no specifics were outlined, the roadway could be closed for several weeks. Erosion accelerated by recent storms is cited for the culvert failure, approximately eight miles up the mountain from Highland Avenue. A contractor was hired today (March 15), and emergency work to repair both slope and roadway will commence once material and equipment are readied; still, no start date on this project and the closure of Highway 330 has been identified. During the Highway 330 closure which, again, could last several weeks once the project begins, motorists will be able to access Big Bear Valley using Highway 18 through the desert communities or Highway 38 from Mentone/Redlands; another (longer) option is Highway 18 from San Bernardino through Waterman Canyon and the Lake Arrowhead area to Running Springs, then on to Big Bear continuing on Highway 18 through the Arctic Circle area to the dam.

Accident at Fox Farm Road Results in Vehicle in Rathbun Creek

Big Bear Lake, CA – At approximately 2:30-3pm Sunday, a single car accident caused the temporary closure of a section of Fox Farm Road near Big Bear Blvd as a vehicle apparently lost control driving east off the roadway into Rathbun Creek.  The four door smoky blue Honda appeared to have veered off the roadway, hitting a snow embankment, proceeding up over the sidewalk and through the chain link fence, and landing sideways on the driver’s side of the vehicle in the creek.  The sole female driver and occupant had both of her legs trapped in the driver’s seat.  Big Bear Lake fire crews cut open the car to extract the woman, as well as her young, yellow lab puppy, which was also in the vehicle.  With assistance from Big Bear City fire crews and paramedics, the woman was transported to the airport to be airlifted to a medical facility off the mountain.  It is not known at this time the extent of her injuries, but she was conscious and talking to police and fire personnel at the scene.  The woman’s identity is also unknown at this time.  Since the vehicle was in water which feeds Big Bear Lake, according to Rod Ballard, Big Bear Lake Fire Chief, both the MWD and Fish and Game were notified of the potential for leaky fuel or oil from the vehicle.  It is the responsibility of the Big Bear Lake Sheriff’s department to remove the car from the Creek which they did using large scale towing trucks at 5:30pm Sunday.

Snow and Wind May Make for Difficult Driving; Chain Controls and Wind Advisory in Effect for Tuesday

Big Bear Valley, CA — We’ve received at least another inch of snow here in the Big Bear Valley and this, coupled with severe winds, may make for difficult driving conditions this morning (Tuesday, March 9). There have been several reports of slick conditions on our mountain roads, all of which are under an R2 chain requirement, meaning that all two-wheel drive vehicles must have chains on, while four-wheel drive vehicles with snow tires on all four wheels are required to carry chains. This R2 chain requirement, as issued by CalTrans, applies to all roads in our area, including Highways 18 and 330 the front way, Highway 38, and streets within the Big Bear Valley. At present, there are also chain restrictions in place on Highway 18 en route to the desert communities, and drivers should be aware that the road is slick and there have been reports of spin-outs on the switchbacks en route to the desert this morning. We can expect reduced visibility as winds continue through the day as the National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory, which applies to the San Bernardino mountains into this evening. We can expect northwest winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour, with gusts up to 50 miles per hour possible during this Wind Advisory, which extends until 6pm. Update: As of Tuesday afternoon, all chain requirements have been lifted, and the Wind Advisory has been extended until Wednesday night.

Airport District Approves Purchase of New Snow Removal Equipment–for Efficiency, Safety and Cost-Effectiveness

Big Bear City, CA — Extreme snowfall over the past two years, particularly in January, has made for daunting snowplowing for the staff of the Big Bear City Airport, which must maintain a snow-free runway. During an average winter, airport maintenance staff, namely Tom Hoover and Ryan Goss, use two trucks to plow roughly 500-600 miles each, removing snow from the just-over-one-mile-long runway. However, this year has amounted to over 1,200 miles per truck and when snow levels were such that it couldn’t all be cleared, the airport was closed for 50 hours, which also resulted in a loss of revenue for the Big Bear Airport District. For the last two years, the airport has had to rent additional snow removal equipment to keep up, while also spending more on overtime costs to staff. To alleviate these ongoing expenses, while also keeping up with plowing demands, the Board of Directors of the Airport District approved the purchase of new equipment during their regular monthly meeting on March 3. Using roughly $369,000 in LAIF funds, the airport district is buying a CAT 950 loader and an RPM 220 snow blower (similar to the one just purchased by the City of Big Bear Lake). Per Airport General Manager Pete Gwaltney, who has also assisted in snowplowing efforts, should the new equipment last at least 20 years, the annual cost would be just over $18,000—a cost savings to the district as they will not need to rent additional equipment at $16,000 per year (as has been the case for this season), and overtime costs should also be eliminated given the increased efficiency of the loader, which replaces a 23-year-old model. The Airport District projects that, with the addition of their new loader and snow blower, there will be safety benefits to aircraft and clearing the full width of the runway should take two hours instead of two days.

Weekend Snowfall Results in Monday Morning Commute Chain Controls on Highway 18

Big Bear Valley, CA — An inch or so of snow over the weekend brings our seasonal total to about 112 inches of snow for the winter season, since we received our first snowfall on Friday, November 13. As of this morning [Monday, March 8 at 8am], CalTrans only has chain controls in place on Highway 18, west of the dam, so those headed down the mountain the front way will need chains if in a two-wheel drive vehicle; four-wheel drives with snow tires on all four wheels are required to carry chains. This R2 chain requirement applies only to Highway 18, from the Big Bear Dam, through the Arctic Circle and Snow Valley, and down to Running Springs. There are no chain requirements for any other roads in our area and, still, Snow Conditions have not been reinstated so parking on city streets is allowed. For updates on road conditions, visit the KBHR Big Bear Road Conditions page.

Blanket of New Snow Prompts Chain Requirements on Mountain Highways

Big Bear Valley, CA — Last night’s snowfall amounted to an inch or less here in the Big Bear Valley, but was just enough to blanket dirty snow berms with fresh, white powder and prompt chain requirements on our mountain roads. At present (8am, March 4), CalTrans has R2 chain requirements in place for Highways 18 and 330 down the front way, Highway 38 to Angelus Oaks, and on roads within the Big Bear Valley. R2 restrictions mean that two-wheel drive vehicles must have chains on, while four-wheel drive vehicles with snow tires on all four wheels must be carrying chains. The National Weather Service says that there may be reduced visibility on mountain roads this morning and, given potentially slick conditions, there was a five-vehicle accident on Highway 18 this morning. This pile-up was in the 7am hour, and occurred on Highway 18 just below Lakeview Point between the Arctic Circle and Snow Valley. That said, drivers are advised to proceed with caution and, again, R2 chain requirements are in place for Highway 18, west of the dam, Highways 38 and 330, and roads within the Big Bear Valley. There are no chain requirements for those traveling on Highway 18 east to Lucerne Valley. The City of Big Bear Lake has not reinstated Snow Conditions (which were lifted yesterday morning), so parking on city streets is allowed at this time. For changes to road specifics, see the KBHR Big Bear Road Conditions page.

County Supervisors Extend Snow Plowing Contracts for Big Bear Valley, Approve Re-Appointment of Don Pletcher to Parks Commission

San Bernardino County Supervisors convened yesterday (March 2), and during their meeting in San Bernardino addressed a few items specific to the Big Bear Valley, which falls within the County’s Third District (of five). Given more than anticipated snowfall this season, County Supervisors unanimously approved an increase to blanket purchase orders for snow removal contracts with both Ken Willis Construction and Romans Construction, Inc. for roads within the unincorporated portions of the Valley, specifically at the east end. The existing contract with Willis had been for $100,000 though, as one storm incurred over $109,000 in plowing services, this contract will now extend to $200,000 in snow removal services; the Romans contract was extended to allow for plowing in the newly formed road district in Erwin Lake.
Supervisors also approved a construction contract in the amount of nearly $62,000 with Axis Controls, Inc. of Irvine for a vacuum control panel replacement project for County Service Area 53B, or Fawnskin. Sewer collection lift stations, installed in the 1970s, have reached the end of their service life, so replacement of the original control panel should alleviate disruptions of sewer service in the Fawnskin area.
And, given Tuesday’s unanimous vote, Big Bear Valley Recreation and Park District Advisory Commissioner Don Pletcher has been re-appointed, and will serve a term through January 2014. With Pletcher continuing on the Advisory Commission of (now) five, which includes Kathryn Poole, Bob Ybarra and Gloria Rose, one vacancy remains. Those interested in appointment to the Rec and Park Advisory Commission by Third District County Supervisor Neil Derry can apply via the website of the County’s Clerk of the Board (see the top link under “Forms”).

The Big Bear Climb: Volunteers Needed for May 21 Stage of Amgen Tour of California

Big Bear Lake, CA — In anticipation of the Amgen Tour of California, the internationally recognized cycling race coming to Big Bear the weekend prior to Memorial Day, local volunteers are being sought to participate on Friday, May 21. The local organizing committee for the Big Bear Climb, which culminates with a finish at Snow Summit after a 135-mile ride from Pasadena, needs volunteers to assist with media, security, site decoration, volunteer check-in, the Lifestyle Festival Expo, and as course marshals. Though there are 75 professional course marshals that will line the course, which includes Highway 18 and the North Shore portion of Highway 38, the majority of local volunteers will be needed in the course marshal capacity. Those interested in participating in this large-scale event, which will include professional cyclists Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer, are asked to contact Big Bear Volunteer Director Eric Lewis via email at ericlewisbigbearlake@yahoo.com, or by calling 909/800-4371. For more information on Big Bear’s participation in the May 21 stage of the Amgen Tour of California, see the website TheBigBearClimb.com.

“Senior Adventures” Begin This Week, With the First of Many Off-the-Hill Field Trips Offered Through the Big Bear Senior Center

Big Bear Lake, CA — Given the availability of the Big Bear Valley Recreation and Park District’s luxury bus (purchased with funds from the Soroptimists’ Man About Town campaign in 2008), Big Bear’s seniors now have opportunity to participate in field trips being billed as Senior Adventures. Big Bear Senior Center Coordinator Tina Nazarian tells KBHR, “We’re just trying to do more things, so I’ve got trips planned all the way through October.” Among those will be a summer adventure to Catalina Island and, in May, a trip to the USS Midway in San Diego, which Nazarian says will be a fun one for seniors and their grandchildren. In the meantime, the first of many senior bus trips starts with a Friday, March 5 excursion to the Agua Caliente Casino, and a shopping expedition to L.A.’s Chinatown on Sunday, March 14; cost for either trip is $27.50 for transportation on the bus. On March 26, seniors can take the field trip to Ventura County to visit the Reagan Presidential Library which, notes Nazarian, “If you haven’t been in the last two years, it now includes Air Force One and the Marine One helicopter used by President Reagan, and you can go inside both of them.” Cost for this trip includes admission, as does an April 23 whale watching expedition. To sign up for any one of the upcoming Senior Adventures, stop by the Big Bear Senior Center (on the Boulevard, across from Baker Pond) or call 584-0323.

Latest Snowfall Brings Seasonal Total to Nearly Double Big Bear’s Average; Chain Requirements Lifted

Big Bear Valley, CA — This weekend’s storm brought another five inches or so of snow to the Big Bear Valley, and up to eight to 10 inches to the higher elevations at the resorts. This latest snowfall brings our seasonal total (for the Valley floor at 6,750’) to about 110 inches; average totals tend to be about 62 inches for the entire season.
Since Saturday’s flurries, all chain requirements have been lifted on our mountain roads (as of Sunday afternoon), so at this time chains are not required on any roads to, from or within the Big Bear Valley. However, as of Saturday, the City of Big Bear Lake reinstated Snow Conditions, so no parking on city streets or risk having your vehicle towed or ticketed. For updated road conditions for our area, visit the KBHR Big Bear Road Conditions page.

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