Drivers frustrated with Grapevine closure

Well, conditions aren't any better along the grapevine. Dozens of people are stuck waiting for the freeway to reopen. We saw this earlier. KKL News reporter Tina Patel is live in Castaic, where she talked to some really frustrated drivers. And Tina, we've watched all morning as everybody hits those cones and has to turn around. Yeah, we're in Castaic. This is as far north as you can go.

I will tell you that it is still raining and now the winds have picked up. It definitely feels colder. This is where CHP has kind of set up a turnaround. So people that are heading north are really just going to be you turned around back onto the southbound lanes. And whether they pull off and kind of wait out this closure or they just head back home, that's really up to them. We talked to a tow truck driver who says he's just trying to get to Bakersfield. He feels like he's so close and it's very hard to get stuck this way this close to where he needs to go.

Very frustrated. It's 2 a.m. in the morning, parked on the side of the road, you know, sleepy and I got a daycap so I got no sleeper. So I've been to back sleeping, but right now I'm just right here at McDonald's right now. Got something to eat, trying to make the best of it until they can open up these roads again. So many truck drivers in that position where they thought that they maybe could get through, but this is the reason they can't.

Caltrans just posted this new video of what the conditions are like on the high part of the Tahoe Pass around the 3,800 foot level is where they were in Lebec. And you can see that there's just a lot of snow coming down. Visibility is an issue. What they're really concerned about is the ice. They've had Caltrans crews out all morning trying to keep those roads clear, but they said when they were running escorts earlier this morning, they said that everyone was just kind of spinning out, losing control. And that's why they have the closure. They said they don't know when it will be safe to reopen.

So they're asking people to postpone travel plans completely if they can. If not, they say the alternate is the 101. We know that's along the coast. It's a long way for a lot of these drivers that detour, but they say that's the only way to get through right now if you're trying to go north-south. Ladies, we'll send it back to you. It is a pretty drive though. You've got that.

Thank you.

KCAL News Mornings