Southbound route to Laguna Beach reopens

The southbound lanes of a major route to Laguna Beach were reopened Saturday, about 24 hours after a 70-foot oak fell onto several power lines, causing the road to be shut down.

Laguna Canyon Road was reopened to traffic heading toward the ocean, authorities said, though lanes going the other direction were expected to remain closed until sometime today.

The accident caused a power outage and threatened to limit access to the beach and three popular art festivals over the Labor Day weekend, one of the city’s busiest of the year.

The affected road is one of only two major arteries into town; the other is Coast Highway.