Header Photo, Rat Creek by Heath Johnston, Supervisor, Cal Trans Big Sur Station
It washed out at Rat Creek, at Mile Marker 30, south of Esalen, on Thursday, 1/28/21, and as of now there is no expected time line for repairing it. When there is, I will add it here. I am asked hundreds of times during slides where the slide is in relation to something else. The following link will answer that question for you.
7 am, 1/29/21 Photo by Heath Johnston
Interactive Highway Map with Mile Markers and slide names is to the right, under “Pages” first one *Big Sur Interactive Maps… if the following link doesn’t work. *Big Sur Interactive Slide Maps will answer any questions you may have about where something is in relation to something else.
There is a fascinating historical study of the road closures of Highway One in Big Sur contacted for by Cal Trans in 2000. It is well worth your time. History of Road Closures in Big Sur
Before I get into the “official” statement, let me share some photos Dave Nelson took yesterday, Tuesday, 3/2/2021. Dave said at least 10 archeologists and Native Americans were on site sifting through newly revealed strata to check for artifacts. This first photo shows several sifting screens and the grid they set out.
This second photo shows the contractors working.
Now for the “official” report. Thank you, Katie Moon.
Busy week. Met this lovely lady when she checked me in for my 1st covid shot at the VA clinic in Marina — Jaime Goncalves — her husband is a firefighter and they have followed this blog for a while.
Then went out to lunch at Woody’s, used to be the Golden Tee, at the Monterey Airport so Rock Knocker could watch the planes take off and land.
Had a lovely beet salad. (Do not recommend the clam chowder — way too thin and watery, although plenty of clams.)
And started our trip of 225 miles one way by seeing this at San Carpoforo, Look at the color in that river.
“Feb 27, 2021, Gorda, CA — Life here in this tiny town built on the continent-ending cliffs of the Pacific coast has always had an anxious “when,” not “if,” quality to it. And much of that uncertain fate, season to season and year to year, has been tied to the two-lane road that runs through it.
Highway 1 is a California spectacle, a Depression-era monument to the state’s quixotic ambitions and stunning beauty. It runs from the Orange County surf haven of Dana Point in the south into cannabis-cultivating Mendocino County, carrying heavy traffic over the Golden Gate Bridge and under the bluffs of Santa Monica, where it is better known as the Pacific Coast Highway, on its 650-mile route.
But it is here in the middle, in one of the highway’s emptiest and most awesome stretches, where it is also most in peril. California’s shifting weather patterns are presenting new threats to this exotic road as wildfire reaches into places it has never been, leaving raw landscapes and fresh dangers in its burn path.
Late last month, pounding rains brought a torrent of mud and tree trunks the size of small boats through the narrow culvert at Rat Creek, about 25 miles north of here, where a wildfire had burned just months before.”
As climate change and overpopulation both increase, and https://www.visitcalifornia.com/ and https://www.seemonterey.com/ continue to reach out to encourage more visitation, the threat of wildfire is only going to increase proportionally. We will be facing more and more of these multi-month closures on the highway that is the life blood of not just Big Sur, but of the county and the state as well. That is why when it closes, residents enjoy the silence and peace it brings. We are reminded of why we came here in the first place, and can enjoy it again for a few days, weeks, or months — in road closure season and wildfire season, when the strains put on her resources by visitors are lessened.
MONTEREY COUNTY – Caltrans announced today that major emergency repairs of Highway 1 on the Big Sur Coast at Rat Creek will begin March 1 and that it estimates it will reopen the famed roadway early this summer. Debris flow from the Dolan Fire burn scar washed out a 150-foot section of roadway January 28, causing a full closure.
After assessing the damage, removing debris and making minor repairs, Caltrans will reconnect the roadway at Rat Creek with an enhanced fill option. Caltrans will fill the canyon with dirt in a large V-shape and construct a new road on top of the fill.
“Caltrans crews have been onsite since this highway section washed out in the recent storms to assess the damage, and we’re pleased to announce emergency construction begins next week to repair and reconnect the highway,” said Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin. “Highway 1 is an iconic roadway that connects travelers with small businesses on the Central Coast, and we’re focused on restoring travel on this section by early summer.”
The enhanced fill option also involves replacing the main drainage system at Rat Creek with an oversized main culvert, a secondary culvert and smaller overflow culverts closer to the highway grade. This will increase the capacity of the drainage system, add redundancies designed to withstand future debris flows and enhance the resiliency and sustainability of the highway against rising sea level and coastal erosion.
“The repairs for Highway 1 at Rat Creek include improvements that can prevent similar damage from future debris flows,” said Caltrans District 5 Director Tim Gubbins. “We look forward to swiftly making these repairs so that all travelers will have a safe and resilient stretch of highway.”
Caltrans estimates the repairs will cost $11.5 million, including $5 million in ongoing emergency repairs north of Rat Creek. The contractor is Papich Construction of Arroyo Grande.
Approximately five miles of Highway 1 will be closed to all vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle traffic during repairs. The northern turnaround is two miles north of Rat Creek at the Lime Creek Bridge at PM 32.1, and the southern closure is at Big Creek Vista Point at PM 27.3.
The plan calls for work seven days a week during daylight hours, with longer shifts possible as the project progresses. The repair work involves the manipulation of tens of thousands of cubic yards of material, and rain could cause delays. Caltrans will adjust the timetable, as necessary.
All businesses and activities south of Rat Creek in communities including Lucia, Gorda, Treebones, Ragged Point, San Simeon and Cambria will continue to remain accessible from the south on Highway 1. Similarly, the entire stretch of Highway 1 north of the closure, from Monterey and Carmel to the businesses and recreational facilities of the greater Big Sur area will be open for business and unaffected by the closure. Only through traffic on Highway 1 is affected by the washout at Rat Creek.
Above: Rat Creek on California’s Highway 1; looking south on the morning of January 29, 2021.
Aerial photo showing debris and the washout of Highway 1 on February 1, 2021.
Excavators removing debris from the canyon February 11, 2021.
Caltrans reminds motorists to move over and slow down when
Date: February 22, 2021To: Big Sur ResidentsFrom: Peloton ShootRe: Film Production Activity Scheduled for Thursday March 4rth, 2021 & Friday March 5th, 2021 on Highway 1 in the Big Sur Area (Rocky Creek & Point Sur Lighthouse)
In an effort to better communicate with Big Sur residents and business owners regarding upcoming film activities in the area, this is to notify you of a permitted film shoot to take place on Thursday March 4th, 2021- Friday March 5th, 2021 from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm. Our work will require intermittent traffic control (ITC) at and near Bixby Bridge and Hwy 1, Mile Markers: MON 60.1 to MON 51.2. As per our permit, a portion of parking at the Bixby Bridge turnout will also be used for staging.
We will be hiring California Highway Patrol officers to facilitate the ITC and to ensure public safety and access with only brief traffic holds. We have taken all necessary steps to ensure that the required permits have been obtained and will comply with restrictions necessary for a safe and efficient shoot.
The production company would like to show its appreciation to the community with a donation to the Big Sur Fire Brigade & Big Sur Health Center.
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. I hope this advance notice is helpful for you to plan your day.Sincerely yours,Rod WeinerLocation Manager 415.606.1146rweiner8@gmail.com
In order to provide this information a bit faster than last time, I am posting one full page each Monday, even if there is other news that must be reported. There are 11 pages.
This will open up an additional 11 miles of the highway on the south side of Rat Creek.
Once established, the southern turnaround at Big Creek Vista Point at PM 27.3 and the northern turnaround just north of the Lime Creek Bridge at PM 32.1 will serve as the landmark limits for public travel on Highway 1 while repairs are being made at Rat Creek.
In upcoming weeks, these turnarounds will be improved with permanent surfacing and enhanced striping.
Sections of Highway 1 on the approach to these turnarounds will continue to be subject to one way reversing traffic control at various points as cleanup operations continue. Motorists can expect delays of up to 10 minutes.
At Rat Creek, woody debris and debris flow material continue to be hauled out of the upstream basin and is being trucked off site.
Engineering teams continue to study possible repair options. No repair method at Rat Creek has been selected and there is no timeline at present for when that decision might be made.
