BIG SUR – A section of Highway 1 near Big Sur that fell into the Pacific Ocean in late March is slated to reopen Friday – eight days ahead of schedule, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday.
A temporary 24/7 signal will provide unrestricted public access with one-way alternating traffic in both directions of the highway, the governor’s office said in a news release.
“Crews have been working day and night to quickly repair the damage to Highway 1 caused by recent storms, which has disrupted the lives of individuals living in and around Big Sur – limiting access to the area and hampering tourism,” Newsom said.
On March 30, a rockslide below Highway 1 south of the Rocky Creek Bridge left the southbound lane partially undermined and impassable, the governor’s office said. Roughly six feet of the pavement and a portion of a masonry retaining wall that supported the highway fell into the ocean about 170 below the road, according to his office.
Crews with the California Department of Transportation stabilized the remaining southbound lane and preserved the northbound lane by drilling, installing and grouting 40 vertical and 75 sub-horizontal rock dowels into the slope, according to the governor’s office.
The nearly $27 million project required the closure of the roadway in both directions, aside from twice-daily convoys.
“Highway 1 is the jewel of the California highway system and our crews have been working non-stop for the last month and a half so Californians can have unrestricted access to this iconic area of our state,” Caltrans Director Tony Tavares said.
“We are deeply grateful to have Highway 1 open and functional an entire week ahead of schedule,” said state Sen. John Laird, D-Santa Cruz. “I want to sincerely thank Caltrans and the people of Big Sur for their work, effort and patience through this process.”
A project to construct a permanent repair to the highway is in the works, with an estimated completion date of spring 2025.