Today’s Date: Friday, December 12, 2014 @ 6:30 pm
District: 5 – Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Santa Cruz and San
Benito Counties
Contact: Susana Z Cruz (Bilingual) or Colin Jones
Phone: (805) 549-3138 or (805) 549-3189
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HIGHWAY 1 CARMEL TO CAMBRIA UPDATE #2 —
FULL CLOSURE FROM RAGGED POINT TO GORDA
MONTEREY COUNTY — A 10-mile section of Highway 1 will remain closed overnight through Saturday morning, Dec. 13 in both directions from north of Ragged Point at the San Luis Obispo/Monterey County line to Gorda (Mile Marker 10) in Monterey County, 35 miles south of Big Sur due to rock and mudslide activity.
Caltrans will evaluate conditions of the roadway which is still an active/unstable slide area with intermittent wet weather continuing and will provide roadway updates as the situation develops. Any overnight travel along the coast highway is NOT advised unless absolutely necessary.
All businesses on either side of the closure in Big Sur/Ragged Point are open and accessible via Highways 1, 46, 68 and/or 101.
Caltrans reminds motorists to move over and slow down when driving through highway construction zones.
For more information regarding projects on the Central Coast, you may call the toll-free hotline at (888) 836-0866 or visit http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist05/projects/. The public may also call the statewide CHIN at (800) 427-7623 for updates on current traffic conditions.
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Jim Shivers
Caltrans District 5
Public Information Officer
(805) 549-3237
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PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS AND THOUGHTS BY BIGSURKATE:
On Wednesday, the road was closed overnight due to a slide in the Alder Creek Area. This area is notoriously unstable. The photos Cal Trans sent out, while not identified, look to be this area. Many of you will remember a slide at Alder Creek that I covered in my blog that closed the highway at that location for a month in May of 2011. There is a search box to the right, just above categories, where one can enter Alder Creek and see the reports and some amazing photos of that slide. There was another one in March of 2010. Again, one can find it with the search function on my blog.
Given that rain is expected throughout the month, the next one Sunday night into mid-week, I don’t think we have heard the last of slides in this area. Might even be new slides added.
Please, do not drive this portion of Highway One at night. There is a reason Cal Trans doesn’t work at night. It is dangerous. The two vehicles stuck in the slide at Big Creek last night, and the one that got away severely damaged, are a testament to the danger of doing so.
To add to Kates statement regarding not traveling through the rock slide areas at night;
You do not only put yourself at risk, but also others, if for some reason you get stuck and need assistance. I was paged to a service call last night and had to drive to the Big Creek slide area. The drive down was very dangerous, driving through some strong rainfall and having to dodge multiple large boulders. While driving by all the active slide areas I was worried I might get stuck myself and not be able to get back home to my wife and infant child.
Thanks for the driving reminders. I travel down there with someone who seems to know no fear…
I am wondering about Sycamore Canyon Rd – you mentioned previously that it was closed, but I didn’t see it on the Monterey County Public Works page about closures. I heard it had has had some serious mud flows and wondering what the prognosis is for clean up, if you know? Thank you.
Won’t be down there until after the next rain, so I realize it could happen all over again…
Sycamore Canyon Rd is not a county road. It is a USFS responsibility road. The video of the mud and debris on it seemed to show a USFS truck and guy stuck in the mud.
Jon, thanks for the reminder. Foolish actions can put other’s lives at risk. Don’t do it!
Thanks, I am learning. Where did you see the video?
On FB.
bigsurkate