| Date: | Monday, April 19, 2021 |
| District: | 05 – Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz Counties |
| Contact: | Kevin Drabinski or Jim Shivers |
| Phone: | (805) 549-3138 or (805) 549-3237 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HIGHWAY 1 AT RAT CREEK TO OPEN TO TRAFFIC AT NOON ON APRIL 23
Strict road closures currently in place two miles north and three miles south of Rat Creek on Highway 1 will remain in effect until noon that day.
The construction phases for this emergency project have been ordered in such a way as to allow for the rapid reopening of the road even as remaining construction tasks are being completed.
Additional construction activities which will be accomplished over the next few months include installation of permanent guardrail (K-rail now in place), construction of headwalls at the culvert inlets, final grading features, and placement of erosion control measures on both sides of the roadway.
One component yet to be started is a tunneling operation to install a 10 ft. diameter, one-inch thick steel pipe culvert which will pass from the canyon, through the fill below the roadway, and outlet to the ocean. This key piece of infrastructure will substantially improve water flow capacity during future storm events. It will be augmented by a 5 ft. diameter culvert and two 24 in. culverts which have already been installed closer to the grade of the highway. The redundancy of the drainage infrastructure is designed to make the highway more resilient to extreme weather conditions which will allow for safe travel.
Crews have worked on site since immediately after the January 28 washout, seven days a week during daylight hours, and their consistent efforts have made it possible to reopen Highway 1 at Rat Creek in only 86 days. In addition, favorable weather, which has dominated the area since the road washed out, has also been a contributing factor in the rapid completion of the construction activities to this point.
Approximately 70,000 cubic yards of debris material was removed from the canyon while a repair design strategy was being evaluated. Once an enhanced fill strategy was identified in late February, 45,000 cubic yards of fill dirt, capable of being compacted to support the roadway above, was introduced into the canyon.
As crews complete the remaining construction work over the next few months, intermittent traffic control at this location may cause delays for motorists of up to 10 minutes. Message and directional signs will be in place to alert motorists when one way reversing traffic control is required.
Notwithstanding this intermittent traffic control, Highway 1 at Rat Creek will fully reopen on Friday April 23 at noon; welcome news indeed for residents, recreationalists, business owners, and those who move goods through this region.
Caltrans reminds motorists to move over and slow down when
driving through highway work zones.
For traffic updates on other state highways in Monterey County, travelers may contact Caltrans District 5 Public Affairs at 805-549-3318 or can visit the District 5 website at: https://dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-5
Inlets for redundant culverts at east side of the roadway 04.14.21
Base for roadway being installed, view looking south 04.14.21
Two 24 in. culverts outlet over slope on west side of roadway 04.14.21
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Kevin Drabinski
Public Information Officer
Caltrans District 5
Office: 805.549.3138
Cell: 805.748.1858
TTY 711
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Seems odd that there have been no pix of the “non-redundant” culvert (NRC). Glad there will be headwalls on the redundant ones. How are they going to keep flotsam from clogging the latter? And for that matter, the main culvert (dimensions?), presuming there is one or more? What do they mean by “enhanced” fill?
How are they going to anchor the two black pipes to the slope? What kind of outlet works will be installed? How are they going to dissipate all that energy (head pressure)? What kind of material are the two smaller pipes?
Seems to me that there might have been more redundancy, but what do I know?
Thank you!
I think it’s says it right here W. “One component yet to be started is a tunneling operation to install a 10 ft. diameter, one-inch thick steel pipe culvert which will pass from the canyon, through the fill below the roadway, and outlet to the ocean. ” so yet to be complete.
man, the acoustics in the new big culvert should be amazing ! JP Burns tunnel is awesome already, this new one will be epic. anyone will sound wonderful in there ! I wonder if CalTrans will rent it out as a venue ?
oh, and btw, thanks for speedy competent work !
You’re right, Bird man. I still worry about clogging, given the size of debris (trees, shrubs) visible in some photos. I suspect that the engineers had a lot of pressure on them to get the #*>>@^^<)! road open PRONTO! I'm also a little chary about undermining at the discharge ends, and gullies "walking" upslope (headcutting) and the effects of turbulent flows everywhere, particularly at inlets and outlets. Cross your fingers that the rock formations are "competent." I trust the engineers; I'm not so sure about their BIG bosses.
Sounds like a, try to have more Faith in the matter, as many times we know, it really does “start at the top!” But of course not always, & when really, is it all perfect, given we are all Human ~☆~