All lanes opened on 5 Freeway in Sun Valley area, CHP says

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Spectators attempt to stay dry as they watch a race at Irvine Park as a light rain falls. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

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Members of the USC band are reflected on a horn covered with rain droplets during a pep rally under stormy skies. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Pedestrians get shelter under an umbrella as they walk across the USC campus. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Bicyclists are reflected in a puddle while riding down an alley between Market Street and Windward Avenue. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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Snow at over 9,000 feet in the White Mountains near the ancient Bristlecones pine forest in Inyo National Forest above Bishop. (Al Seib / Los Angeles TImes)

By Robert J. Lopez

Oct. 9, 2013 10:11 PM PT

All lanes of the 5 Freeway in the Sun Valley area were opened Wednesday night after heavy debris flows spilled across the lanes and forced a shutdown that lasted for several hours, the California Highway Patrol said.

After mud, water and rocks spilled across the freeway Wednesday afternoon, one southbound lane remained open. But a full shutdown near Sunland Boulevard was ordered shortly before 4 p.m. as crews worked to clear the lanes. The closure created a rush-hour nightmare, backing up traffic for miles as drivers looked for alternate routes.

Earlier Wednesday, a CHP unit at the scene reported “tons of water” and “all lanes covered in rocks, debris and mud.”

Water apparently overflowed from a nearby storm drain as the first storm of the season brought rain and high winds to the area.

Some cars were stranded, according to television news footage and CHP reports from the scene.

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