Highway 1 closure near Big Sur is narrowing as crews work to fix mudslide damage
As Caltrans crews work to fix a deep, runoff-caused crevasse in Highway 1 near Big Sur, the agency is looking to shorten the length of the road closure at Rat Creek.
On Monday, Feb. 22, Caltrans plans to move the stopping point for traffic going north toward Big Sur, according to details released by Caltrans on Feb. 12.
That means drivers coming from both directions will be able to travel to within about five miles of each other. Businesses on both sides of the slide remain open.
Once Caltrans moves the southern closure location, traffic flowing north on the highway will be allowed to go 11 miles further than before, to a newly created turnaround point at Big Creek Vista Point. That’s about 27 miles north of the line between Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties; the current stopping point is at Pacific Valley, 16 miles north of the county line.
A Caltrans news release said the closure for traffic heading south on the highway will remain the same — but in coming weeks, the turnaround there, two miles north of Rat Creek, will be improved, paved and striped.
Standard traffic control measures will be used as necessary.
On Jan. 28, a 150-foot section of the Highway 1 pavement and supporting ground below it washed away due to rain, runoff and debris that overwhelmed drainage infrastructure.
Caltrans had preemptively closed a stretch of the All-American Highway a couple of days earlier, based on forecasts of an “atmospheric river” storm that was anticipated to dump about a foot of rain on the area. The behemoth storm more than lived up to its advance billing.
Crews are working seven days a week to fix the Highway 1 damage, even working through the Presidents’ Day holiday weekend. Their schedules include extended shifts.
Meanwhile, engineers and geotechnical experts continue gathering data, inspecting and studying areas close to the washout and the surrounding canyon, to provide the groundwork for alternative designs for the roadway repair.
No decision has been made yet how the complex repair will be made, and there’s no timeline yet for when that decision will be made.
Crews aren’t waiting for the decision. They’re preparing the area for whatever design is selected.
Big excavators are removing woody debris and mud from the canyon.
Crews are unplugging many culverts on both sides of Rat Creek, drainage infrastructure that was swamped by runoff and debris from the torrential rainstorm.
On the open road, maintenance workers are still clearing glop and debris out of ditches up and down the scenic highway. They’re also helping emergency contractors within the closure area, performing such tasks as restoring drainage facilities and fixing damaged guardrails.
