Full reopening of Highway 1 to Big Sur still ‘several months’ away, Caltrans says
.jpg "The eastern side of Highway 1 at Dani Creek has been reconstructed. Next, tunneling operations will drive a culvert through the fill below the roadway.")
Caltrans has reopened 4 more miles of the Big Sur stretch of Highway 1, parts of which have been shut down since December, but it will still be “several months” before travelers can drive the full length of the scenic coastline.
That means only about 2 miles of the heavily traveled scenic highway remain inaccessible to the public, after several months of winter storms caused landslides.
The northbound highway remains closed just south of the entrance to Limekiln State Park, which is itself shuttered for repairs.
The highway closure at the north end is now at Lucia, about 23 miles north of the San Luis Obispo-Monterey county line and 55 miles from the Monterey area.
Highway 1 work continues at Paul’s Slide and nearby Dani Creek
There’s still lots of work before two landslide areas are passable, Caltrans spokesman Kevin Drabinski wrote in a press release Friday.
Crews are still working to clear the adjacent Paul’s Slide and Dani Creek closures, he said.
“Repairs at Dani Creek (immediately north of Paul’s Slide) are expected to continue through Aug. 17,” Drabinski explained. “Crews have removed debris from the major slip-out area below the roadway and have been reconstructing the highway embankment, which is approaching the previous level of the road. Crews will next focus on a tunneling operation, which will drive a culvert through the fill below the roadway.”
When will full Big Sur coast reopen?
“The current estimate for reopening the highway at Paul’s Slide is still several months (away),” Drabinski said in the press release. “A refreshed estimate for a reopening date at Paul’s Slide will be made in mid-July.”
In May, he described the work at Paul’s Slide as “a massive undertaking to remove an estimated 500,000 cubic yards of material and to sculpt and stabilize the slope.”
Progress was slowed there, he told The Tribune on Tuesday, because “not surprisingly, there is still a lot of water on the hills; at that location and at every hillside in California.”
He said crews are continuing to work 12-hour shifts, seven days a week.
He said that “the expectation here is for any possible opening to be months away, not weeks,” but that the early July announcement “likely will include an estimate on reopening one lane some time prior to full reopening.”
Road information and updates can also be found on Caltrans District 5 Social Media platforms: Twitter at: @CaltransD5, Facebook at: Caltrans Central Coast (District 5) and Instagram at: Caltrans_D5.
This story was originally published June 23, 2023 at 10:38 AM.
