Rainfall Inflicts Costly Damage on Roads : Transportation: Crews will be patching potholes and cleaning up debris for weeks. Caltrans is still clearing rubble from mudslides that closed part of California 33 north of Ojai.

The rains may be over for now, but road crews in Ventura County will be working for weeks to patch potholes and clear debris left by a month of storms.

Officials in Ventura and Oxnard said they have been receiving five to 10 complaints a day about potholes.

“We’ve been getting quite a few calls,” said John Betonte, superintendent of street maintenance for Ventura.

Betonte said his crew of 35 has started filling the potholes only in the last week because of the intermittent rains.

Until now, workers have been spending most of their time cleaning storm drains.

Telephone Road near the County Government Center and Cedar and Chestnut streets in downtown Ventura are riddled with potholes, Betonte said.

He said it will probably take a month to patch all of the holes, depending on the weather.

“You can’t fix them when it rains,” he said, noting that there is a slight chance of showers today and later this week.

Betonte said moisture loosens asphalt, causing it to shift and subside. In addition to creating new potholes, the wetness causes existing holes to widen and deepen.

Ted Moranda, an Oxnard public works official, said his city has also been busy repairing potholes left by the rain.

“We’re getting five to six calls a day from citizens,” Moranda said. “We get calls on potholes all the time, but it definitely has been worse since the rain started.”

Caltrans road crews are also busy trying to patch 100 to 200 holes on roads countywide, said Bruce Dyar, regional manager.

Dyar said California 33 in Ojai and California 126 between Fillmore and Piru had the most holes.

Those areas were especially hard hit by rains during the past month.

Officials in Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks said their cities avoided major street problems despite some flooding.

George Berg, acting public works director in Simi Valley, said his office received only two calls about potholes in the last month.

Meanwhile, Caltrans workers are still clearing debris from rockslides and mudslides along a 35-mile stretch of California 33 just north of Ojai.

The segment between Wheeler Gorge Campground and Lockwood Valley Road has been closed for two weeks, Dyar said.

Dyar said the road closure has frustrated motorists who want to get a closer look at snow-covered mountains in the Los Padres National Forest.

The highway is open only to residents of the area, he said.

Sabina DeWerth, a Forest Service spokeswoman, said she has received hundreds of calls from Ventura County residents wanting to know when it will be safe to drive in the mountains.

“They are very excited. Many have children who have never seen snow,” she said. “Hopefully, the road will be open next weekend.”

Despite detour signs, Dyar said a number of motorists have taken their chances and driven through.

The alternative would be to take the Golden State Freeway to California 166 and then south on 33.

“It’s 100 to 150 miles to go around,” Dyar said.

Anyone caught traveling on the closed section of the highway faces a $500 traffic fine, said Officer T.J. McAllister, a spokeswoman with the California Highway Patrol.

Dyar said Caltrans road crews have logged more than 3,000 hours in overtime for repair and cleanup operations since the storms began Feb. 27.

Dyar said the work to reopen California 33 will probably cost $100,000 alone.

“It’s going to be an expensive month,” he said.