Traffic along I-5 in Castaic remains snarled due to Route Fire, holiday travelers

Traffic along the 5 Freeway in Castaic remained snarled Monday as a result of last week's Route Fire, which burned more than 5,000 acres in the area. Caltrans closed two right northbound lanes of the interstate because of the brush fire. 

Drivers on the freeway experienced gridlock from Magic Mountain Parkway to Lake Hughes Road and Templin Highway. 

"It's been a nightmare. We thought we'd make it over to the Grapevine to get gas, but we had to pull off," said Spencer Freeman, who was trying to get his family back home to Fresno. "It is going to be even worse trying to get back on the freeway." 

According to Caltrans crews, some of the vertical steel columns on two retaining walls were warped in the heat from the brush fire. They also found cracks on the asphalt road that had widened by 2 inches. 

For nearby residents, some feel like they're trapped.

"We're like prisoners in our own homes because we can't go anywhere," Castaic resident Barbara Jacekin told CBSLA. 

Adding to their frustration are drivers who are taking GPS shortcuts to try and beat the backup. 

"It is telling them to get off onto the Old Road to avoid two to three minutes of traffic that they're going to stay on the freeway for. So, they're getting off on the Old Road, which is making it worse for the residents who are trying to come home," resident Emily Jensen said. 

Those who live in the area said this happens all the time after a big event and they'd like it to stop. Arnold Kraft has been speaking to residents to get their concerns, like the impact this has on seniors. Kraft is speaking to the city council in just a few weeks about the issue.

"We have a lot of senior citizens here that may not be able to get their health care that they need, not just their care, but their supplies," Kraft told CBSLA. 

For its part, Caltrans said crews are working to get the lanes reopened quickly, but that drivers, at least for now, expect delays.

Crews are taking steel and concrete samples from the 5 Freeway, which are being sent to a lab in Sacramento. When those are analyzed, crews will come up with a game plan for repairing the currently closed northbound lanes.