Highway 1 overnight closure set for Jan. 29 south of Big Sur

Northbound traffic to Big Sur on Highway 1 will be affected by an overnight closure for construction work from 10 p.m. Thursday, Jan 28, to 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29, weather permitting. Both lanes will be closed, according to Caltrans. Crews will be placing girders on the viaduct.

The “Cow Cliffs Viaduct” closure area is from the Big Creek Bridge near Lucia to south of Dolan Creek Bridge, 18 miles south of Big Sur.

This is the first full overnight closure at the $3.9 million, half-mile project in which work is customarily done during the day. The project is due to be complete by fall 2016, if weather conditions allow the contractor, RGW Construction of Livermore, to stay on schedule.

All businesses along the coast will remain open during their regular hours. Motorists are advised to reach their destinations by 10 tonight. CHP officers will assist with traffic control.

Electronic message boards will inform motorists, and area residents and businesses will be alerted by email alerts and a traffic hotline.

Caltrans officials said in a Jan. 26 media alert that they don’t anticipate more overnight closures any time soon at the “Elephant Trunk” site, a $9.5 million Highway 1 restoration project in the Big Sur stretch of the scenic All-American Highway. Daytime one-way reversing traffic control will affect motorists, however.

The contractor is John Madonna Construction of San Luis Obispo. The project is due to be completed in the 2016-17 winter season.

For traffic updates on other state highways in Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties, call Caltrans at 549-3318 or a toll-free hotline from Cambria to Carmel at (888) 836-0866. Or go to www.dot.ca.gov/dist05/road_information.htm.

This story was originally published January 27, 2016 at 12:01 PM with the headline "Highway 1 overnight closure set for Jan. 29 south of Big Sur."