SR-1 FULL CLOSURE CONTINUES–RAGGED PT (SLO PM 72.87) TO JUST SOUTH OF PALO COLORADO (PM 61.5).
*IMPORTANT NOTE – CALTRANS BRIDGE ASSESSMENT FINDINGS/BIG SUR COAST PLANS:
· A BRIDGE INSPECTION WAS MADE YESTERDAY, TUESDAY, FEB. 21. THE BRIDGE HAS MOVED SEVERAL FEET SINCE SATURDAY, FEB. 11, AND IS DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR—The bridge will not re-open to anyone—DUE TO EXTREME SAFETY CONCERNS AND THE BRIDGE’S DYNAMIC INSTABILITY, EVERYONE needs to STAY CLEAR and not get within 100 feet of either side of the bridge. This closure will be enforced.
· Drilling is scheduled to begin, weather permitting, either Thursday or Friday for approximately two weeks. Caltrans geotechnical and bridge experts from around the state are working as quickly as possible toward the bridge replacement. Drilling investigation findings are targeted for March 17.
· On the maintenance side, with a couple of days of dry weather our goal is to make progress with the slides to regain as much access from the south as possible. We are also working to keep the roadway passable from the north to just north of the Pfeiffer Cyn Bridge. Yesterday was no exception when multiple slides were cleared up and one lane opened at River Inn and at a recurring slide just south of Hurricane Pt (PM 57)—which is still active today but we have several pieces of equipment keeping it passable.
*BUSINESSES REMAIN OPEN*
Locals may travel in a truck, daytime only:
1) between Ragged. Pt. and Big Creek Bridge and
2) between just north of Pfeiffer Cyn Bridge and Carmel.
Another update regarding the Highway 1 Big Sur Coast will be provided around mid-morning tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 23.
NOTE: For information on emergency services for the Big Sur Coast, you may contact Gerry Malais, Mon. Co. OES via email at: malaisg@co.monterey.ca.us or Maia Carroll, Mon. Co. OES PIO at carrollm@co.monterey.ca.us or via phone at (831) 796-3092.
“in a truck” does this imply only 4-wheel drive?
Thank you to ‘Lucas!’ for answer of Hwy 1 closure going South of Rocky Point! 🌞
On Wednesday, February 22, 2017, BigSurKate <comment-reply@wordpress.com > wrote:
> lucasryancv posted: “SR-1 FULL CLOSURE CONTINUES–RAGGED PT (SLO PM 72.87) > TO JUST SOUTH OF PALO COLORADO (PM 61.5). *IMPORTANT NOTE – CALTRANS BRIDGE > ASSESSMENT FINDINGS/BIG SUR COAST PLANS: · A BRIDGE INSPECTION WAS MADE > YESTERDAY, TUESDAY, FEB. 21. THE BRIDGE HAS MOVED S” >
My CHP 911 communication at noon confirmed that locals’ southern passage on hwy 1 through the Palo Colorado closure point will continue to be on a case-by-case depending on slide conditions of the moment.
When asked what “during daylight hours” in the OES announcement means, they responded that CalTrans doesn’t work at night so if a slide on hwy 1 again closes the road after daylight, the Palo Colorado closure officers will _not_ allow locals to head south.
Thank you Lucas! People have been nformation starved to hear about access to Monterey for those of us north of the broken bridge with fuel and food concerns. Life is sometimes hard but you and Kate make it better.
I wish residents would have gotten more than 15 minute notice that PG&E was closing hwy 1 at Fernwood for 3-4 hours…
PG&E and CalTrans are working hard but we, the residents, really, really, really need some kind of advance notice about closures of what’s left of our access north to town. Especially on the first non-rainy day when the road to town is open for a short time.
This wasn’t an emergency, resources and equipment had to be assembled this morning to come out this afternoon to replace power poles so it should have been really, really, really easy to let Kate or CHP know about this planned closure this morning, as soon as they had confirmed that PG&E was doing the work this afternoon so we’d have some advance notice.
I stopped by the closure at Palo Colorado at 1pm today heading south and the CHP officers there made the snap judgment that I was a tourist and repeatedly yelled at me via the megaphone to turn around before I was able to communicate that I live in Big Sur. It appears that the officers there had almost no knowledge of the geography of Big Sur as it took a lengthy explanation before they realized that there are people who live between the pfeiffer canyon bridge and palo colorado. I was told that hurricane pt slide was being clear with one lane open and locals were being allowed to travel south with proof of residence. There was no mention made of travel being restricted to those with trucks during daylight hours.
And so someone in the chain of command didn’t come prepared with a press release to residents, well, CHP informant was right to keep him out of it.
Is the “truck only” portion being enforced on the north? Thru Mud Crk it’s not & a staff member got her low sedan thru scraping the bottom over the humps. But no damage to the vehicle and was happy not to have to travel the extra 1.5 hours around thru Nac-Fer!
A post I saw somewhere speculated that the Army Corps of Engineers could slap a temporary bridge over Pfeiffer Canyon within a week or less while Caltrans replaced the broken one. I’ve seen photos of the Corps’ Bailey Bridge work so I believe that estimate. Put another way , if an Armored Division Commander needed to get her tanks over that canyon it would be done already.
Rolland: love the idea, just don’t know how they can prevent slide from moving short or long term.