Highway 1 slide in SLO County could cut off access to Big Sur for months, Caltrans says
A large slide of mud and rocks that landed on Highway 1 a mile south of Ragged Point is likely to shut off access to Highway 1 from San Luis Obispo County north to Big Sur “for several weeks to months,” a Caltrans spokesman said late Thursday.
And while Caltrans was able to reopen the highway north of Ragged Point on Friday, it was slated to close again that evening and remain so for the next several days due to the next lineup of storms headed to the area.
Over the longer term, Kevin Drabinski said repairs at the so-called Polar Star slide mean that access from the south will continue to end “at the elephant seal viewing area, approximately 10 miles south of Ragged Point and four miles north of San Simeon.”
That’s the northernmost area prior to the slide at which large vehicles can turn around safely, he said earlier.
Drabinski said Thursday that “Caltrans maintenance and engineering teams completed initial assessments of Highway 1 after the atmospheric river events over the last two days.”
However, Caltrans was able to reopen the highway northbound for a few hours on Friday to allow area employees, guests and others to leave Ragged Point and other locations and get to the northern closure at Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn in Monterey County, Drabinski said Friday morning.
“Caltrans maintenance teams were able to clean up several slides in the roadway north of Ragged Point,” Drabinski said. After inspections at daybreak Friday morning, Caltrans reopened the highway between Ragged Point and Deetjen’s until 5 p.m.
“This opening is timed to take advantage of a forecasted break in the rain,” Drabinski said.
Drabinski added that the brief travel opportunity also could allow “local community members within the closure area to resupply themselves in preparation for an extended closure of Highway 1. Additionally, community members may wish to take advantage of this opening to leave the area ahead of anticipated storms.”
He said that once the full-length closure goes back into effect at 5 p.m. Friday, it “is expected to remain in effect for the next 10 days in anticipation of more rain and potential damage to the roadway. Caltrans will be looking for opportunities during this period to reopen the road during breaks in the weather as long as roadway conditions allow for safe travel.”
The gates at Paul’s Slide (PM 22) “will continue to be closed and locked day and night for the duration of this closure for public safety,” he said. “Crews from Chavez Construction will continue to work removing debris from the catchment area at Paul’s Slide ahead of the next storm.
Meanwhile, Souza Construction is mobilizing and assessing the conditions prior to starting $750,000 worth of repairs at Polar Star.
Find additional road information and updates on Twitter at @CaltransD5, Facebook at Caltrans Central Coast (District 5) and Instagram at Caltrans_D5.
This story was originally published January 6, 2023 at 10:20 AM.
