Caltrans hoping to abandon Highway 39

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Morris Dam on the San Gabriel River, as viewed from highway CA-39.

State transportation officials are proposing to abandon a winding, mountainous Southern California highway because it costs too much to maintain.

Caltrans is hoping the U.S. Forest Service or Los Angeles County will take over Highway 39, which runs 27 miles from Azusa into the San Gabriel Mountains, but the Los Angeles Times reports Sunday that neither agency wants it.

"So far, they have gracefully declined to take on this responsibility, and Caltrans is stuck with the costs," Ronald J. Kosinski, Caltrans' deputy district director for environmental planning, told the Times. "I hope people don't start digging in their heels over this matter."

The newspaper says the state spends $1.5 million annually maintaining the two-lane paved highway, which is damaged regularly by landslides, flooding and forest fires. Some three million motorists travel on the route every year.

The Forest Service relies on Highway 39 to fight remote wildfires, but the agency says it doesn't have the resources to maintain the roadway.

Kosinski told the Times that Caltrans is operating the road under a unique permit issued in the 1920s. "According to the agreement, the only way we can extricate ourselves from it is to abandon the highway," he said.

The Forest Service says it has a different interpretation - one that Caltrans is eager to ignore. "The permit does say that if Caltrans abandons the highway, they have to remove their improvements - meaning the road - and return the area to the natural landscape," Forest Service engineer Sonja Bergeahl told the Times.

Caltrans could not immediately cite another instance in which it walked away from a state route.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled the city of Azusa. Thanks to our commenters for pointing out the error.