Hwy. 1 still open north of Ragged Point — but the road’s blocked below. See the damage
The closure of Highway 1 between Ragged Point and Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn was briefly extended Friday, according to a Caltrans news release, even as the road to the south remains blocked by a rock slide that could take months to fix.
The stretch of Highway 1 was reopened Friday morning due to favorable weather and road conditions with an initial plan to close again at 5 p.m., Caltrans public information officer Kevin Drabinski said, but a delay in the next round of rain allowed Caltrans to keep the highway open a bit longer.
“In anticipation of projected rains tomorrow afternoon and evening, Highway 1 between Deetjen’s and Ragged Point will be closed again on Saturday, Jan. 7, at 5 pm.,” Drabinski said in the release.
“At that time, the gates at Paul’s Slide will remain closed 24 hours a day as a series of winter storms is forecast to pass over the Big Sur Coast over the next several days,” he added.
That allowed people stuck north of the slide to leave the area or make a trip to restock ahead of the next wet weather system.
Over the coming days, Drabinksi said Caltrans will continue to take advantage of breaks in inclement weather to assess road conditions.
“We anticipate that an opportunity to reopen this closure may occur sometime in the middle of next week,” he said in the release.
Highway 1 closure near Ragged point could last several weeks
Meanwhile, the southern closure of Highway 1 will remain in place for the foreseeable future at the elephant seal viewing area four miles north of San Simeon, due to the “significant slide” at a spot called Polar Star one mile south of Ragged point.
There, rocks and dirt ripped down wire mesh intended to hold back the precarious hillside, and the pile is now covering both lanes of travel.
The slide is expected to restrict access to Ragged Point from the south for several weeks, the release said.
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 4:35 PM.
