Highway 1 reopens early after rockslide shut down popular route during storm

Good news for people traveling between Ragged Point and Big Sur: Caltrans has reopened a 2-mile section of scenic Highway 1 that had been closed since falling rocks and debris forced a larger closure over the weekend.

On Wednesday afternoon, Caltrans announced it would fully re-open the roadway at 5:15 p.m., including “the remaining segment in both directions south of Big Sur.”

“Travelers will encounter traffic control over the next several days from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for residual work and repairs with up to 10-minute delays,” the agency tweeted.

Information sent to media earlier in the day had indicated the closed highway segment would reopen at 5 p.m. on Thursday instead.

The previous weekend’s heavy back-to-back rainstorms and runoff in the area had sent rocks and debris down onto the roadway on Saturday and Sunday, but crews were able to remove most of it quickly.

However, damage to the area around Cow Cliffs, about 8 miles north of Limekiln State Park, required a longer closure, so maintenance crews could remove a large boulder and repair a damaged rock-containment structure.

The through-traffic relief could be short-lived. As of Wednesday night, more rain is predicted for the upcoming weekend.

Kathe Tanner

The Tribune

805-781-7904 (voicemails only)

Kathe Tanner has been writing about the people and places of SLO County’s North Coast since 1981, first as a columnist and then also as a reporter. Her career has included stints as a bakery owner, public relations director, radio host, trail guide and jewelry designer. She has been a resident of Cambria for more than four decades, and if it’s happening in town, Kathe knows about it.