Cal Trans Update #2, 2/1/17

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Pictures of Mud Creek today, with spring flowing at north end.

A quick update for you:

The drillers are coming tonight to Mud Creek (PM 8.8). They want to determine if the weather is safe for them to be working. They are very busy with slides all over the west and are squeezing us in. If we don’t work with them this week, we may not get them back for months, so construction crews have been instructed to support them and if it is safe to let vehicles through while we are working, then they will. If we start to encounter mud slides, we will shut the roadway down to traffic and do our best to support the drillers, to allow for the road/slide repairs.

Susana Z. Cruz nature-flower-blue-motif[1]
Caltrans District 5
Acting Manager
Public Information Office

Cal Trans Update, 2/1/17

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Mud Creek with new spring on north end

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131419 shows flagging at mud creek (PM 8.8) and a new spring has started flowing at the north end.

115608 shows mangled infrastructure we just dug out of the slide at cow cliff (PM 28.35)

***NEW INFORMATION***

DURING DAYTIME HOURS ONLY:

*All Motorists may travel north on Hwy. 1 from Cambria to Limekiln Creek Bridge (PM 21.3) or south on Hwy. 1 from Carmel to Dolan Pt. (PM 29.70).

*We have a failed culvert at 14.4, just north of Sand Dollar Beach (PM 13.85), requiring Caltrans to have daytime one-way traffic control and flagging at three locations: 1) at Mud Creek (PM 8.8), 2) just north of Sand Dollar Beach at PM 14.4 and 3) at Paul’s Slide (PM 21.6).

*Locals may travel north today on Hwy. 1 from Cambria to just south of Big Creek Bridge (PM 28)*

The roadway is not passable between Big Creek (PM 28.09) and Dolan Pt. (PM 29.70).

OVERNIGHT CLOSURES: Hwy. 1 will remain closed overnight from Ragged Point (SLO 72.87) to Dolan Pt. (MON. 29.70) and also if it is raining, due to the instability of the rock/mud slides.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. Our Maintenance and Geotech crews have been working diligently, clearing, cleaning, and scaling as much as safely possible in response to these rock/mudslides.

Another update will be provided tomorrow noontime, Thursday, Feb. 2, or sooner if conditions change.

Susana Z. Cruz nature-flower-blue-motif[1]
Caltrans District 5
Public Information Officer/
Portavoz de Relaciones Públicas
para Caltrans en el Distrito 5
805.549.3138
805.549.3326–fax
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Cal Trans provides lengthy analysis of several trouble spots

Thank you, Susana, this is very thoughtful and informative. I, for one, really appreciate it.

Good morning everyone,

Our noontime update for all Hwy. 1 is coming; however, this is a much lengthier explanation from Geotech/Maintenance Design for you as locals…that may “see” the roadway better than it actually is.

From the south, then:

PM 8.9 is very rough. The pavement has heaved up like very large speed bumps, at three distinct spots. This will be a challenge for any low riding vehicles. This location has only dirt haul work going on today into early next week when we will have a driller on site taking up one lane, under one way traffic, controlled by flaggers. Keeping in mind that if it is raining, we will not be on site. Also, possibly middle of next week, pipe culvert materials may be arriving for replacing the two failed culverts at the southerly end of Mud Creek landslide. This will require excavation of what could be a rocky fill to get to the old culverts. They are about 8 feet deep, but the possibility for rocks in the fill might make it difficult to span the excavation with steel plates and allow for vehicle passages during these 2-day operations (for each cross culvert). Again, we do not yet have these culvert pipes on site yet and they could be arriving later than next week, so we will keep you posted on that. Drilling is expected to take 6 days, once it begins and weather permitting. They have delayed their start a couple of times and as of my latest info, we are expecting them to being Tuesday, 7Feb2016

PM 14.4, Culvert replacement JNO Sand Dollar is starting today. This too is a shallow culvert and we expect to be done here by the end of this week, weather permitting. Flagging is protecting the work here and steel plates are on site to allow for vehicles to go through. If all goes well, this should be a three day operation.

PM 21.6, Paul’s slide has only one lane available to traffic. We are supposed to have one way traffic controlled by flaggers today and each day the crews are working. The dirt haul from Mud Creek is to Willow ck. and I believe they are also moving spoils from Paul’s slide to willow ck., too.

PM 28.3, Cow Cliff has a large hole in the rock fall netting. The pavement has been repaired and most of the slide material has been moved off of the surface of the travel way, so the road appears to be open. However, with the netting down and more weather coming, we are offering no assurances that more rocks and material will not come down onto the road. There is hard closure at Dolan Pt. (for southbound traffic) and Maintenance is supposed to have placed one at the Big Creek Bridge (for the northbound). To clarify our delay in starting work here, the chute above the damaged netting cannot be scaled, as we’ve done at other sites. It is outside of what would be considered okay for worker safety. The materials for this repair are being ordered now and this highly technical installation will begin as soon as materials begin arriving. The contractor is standing by.

On last reminder, if it is raining we will not be on site. There is too much unstable material above and below the roadway at mud creek and at Paul’s slide. The road will be closed during rain from Ragged Pt. (SLO 72.87) to Dolan Pt. (PM 29.7)

Susana Z. Cruz nature-flower-blue-motif[1]
Caltrans District 5
Acting Manager
Public Information Office

Incoming …

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The rain coming in this afternoon/evening and continuing through Friday, then again Sunday through Monday will likely create more problems on the road, possibly at existing sites, and possibly at new places. Flooding is predicted to be likely with the Sunday-Monday storm, so pay close attention to any alerts or warnings.

On the Mud Creek Slide, I did get the photos of the top back side of the mountain from Rock Knocker yesterday, and the explanations. The problem is, I need to be able to draw on them, to explain what one is seeing, and that hasn’t worked out well, yet. Will continue to try. I have tried 3 different apps, so far, and none have worked satisfactorily for my needs. Will try again today.