The California Highway Patrol is escorting San Bernardino Mountains residents uphill twice a day as long as traffic and weather allow, Caltrans announced on Tuesday, Feb. 28.
The first escort was at 5 a.m. Tuesday.
Caltrans has been clearing the roads of several feet of snow that has fallen on mountain roads in a series of storms.
For now, the escorts will be from 5 to 9 a.m. and from 5 to 9 p.m. on Highway 18 at 48th Street in San Bernardino and Highway 330 at Highland Avenue.
Residents are to take a route based on where they live: Residents of Crestline and Lake Arrowhead will use Highway 18, and Running Springs residents will use Highway 330. Proof of residency is required, Caltrans said.
“These escorts are only temporary,” Caltrans said in a statement. “If traffic becomes inundated and there are situations causing delays, the escorts will stop.
“If residents come down the mountain, you might not be let back up. Be prepared if this occurs, but it is better to stay home and off the roadways.”
Highways 18 and 330 are currently open going down the mountains: “There’s no restrictions down-bound,” Caltrans spokesman Eric Dionne said.
There are no escorts up Highway 38, which remains closed in both directions, Dionne said.
Snow has trapped residents and visitors in the mountains, many who have been unable to travel to nearby stores that are running low on food. And residents have been stuck at the bottom of the mountains, unable to return home.
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