The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) said that a major coastal route in San Mateo County will be closed all the way Wednesday night for a yearly emergency response drill.
The Tom Lantos Tunnels in the Devil’s Slide area will be closed to traffic going both north and south on Highway 1 for the required drill. The road will be closed from Wednesday at 8 p.m. to Thursday at 4 a.m. Caltrans said the road had to be closed overnight “for the safety of the crews and the public.”
People driving in Pacifica who are north of the tunnel should take Highway 1 north to get to Interstate 280 southbound. Folks who live south of the Half Moon Bay tunnel should take Highway 92 east to get to I-280 going north.
Officers from the California Highway Patrol will be stationed at the closed roads to help drivers.
As part of the emergency reaction drill, the fire suppression and communication systems will be tested. Different scenarios will also be practiced, and coordination between different agencies will be improved.
Caltrans says that the California Highway Patrol, the Office of the State Fire Marshal, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, the Pacifica Fire and Police Departments, the California Office of Emergency Services, CalFire, and other first responders are all taking part in the emergency reaction drill.
