HIGHWAY 1 AT BIXBY BRIDGE TO REMAIN OPEN THURSDAY OVERNIGHT WITH RETRUN TO REGULAR SCHEDULE ON SUNDAY JULY 18

MONTEREY COUNTY – There will be no overnight closure of Highway 1 at the Bixby Bridge this Thursday July 15.

As previously scheduled, Highway 1 at Bixby Bridge (PM 59.5) will close Wednesday July 14 at 10 pm and reopen Thursday July 15 at 6:30 am. However, the overnight closure previously scheduled for Thursday July 15 has been cancelled. Highway 1 will remain open for the weekend beginning Thursday July 15 at 6:30 am.

The regular schedule of full overnight closures of the bridge for maintenance work will begin again on Sunday July 18. The hours of the overnight closures remain from 10 pm to 6:30 am.

Next week, Highway 1 at the Bixby Bridge will close overnight from Sunday July 18 through Thursday July 22 at 10 pm and will reopen at 6:30 am. Highway 1 will be open for the weekend starting at 6:30 am on Friday July 23.

During the following week, Highway 1 at the Bixby Bridge will be closed overnight from Sunday July 25 through Thursday July 29, from 10 pm to 6:30 am. Highway 1 at the Bixby Bridge will be open without any additional closures beginning at 6:30 am on Friday July 30.

Note: Due to the use of a large crane and other heavy equipment on the bridge during the closure, the roadway would take at least 30 minutes to reopen for emergency vehicles.

Caltrans is working closely with the California Highway Patrol to coordinate traffic control and emergency response during closure hours.

In case of an emergency requiring travel across the Bixby Bridge during the hours of the closures, residents and all travelers are advised to call 911

There is no detour for this closure and traffic control will direct motorists to return along Highway 1 in the direction from which they came.

Message and directional signs will alert motorists in advance of the closure area.

These closures are necessary for contracted maintenance crews to perform repairs and inspections on the bridge support for the safety of all travelers.

To put this in plain English — no campfires ANY WHERE, and propane stoves ONLY in developed campgrounds and require a permit. No propane stoves in back country, at all.

Los Padres officials announce additional fire restrictions

SOLVANG, Calif. – Due to extremely dry vegetation and an increasing fire danger, Los Padres National Forest officials today announced that additional fire restrictions will go into effect beginning tomorrow, July 15, 2021. The following restrictions will be rigorously enforced until the end of the declared fire season:

• Wood and charcoal fires are prohibited in all areas of Los Padres National Forest including designated Campfire Use sites; however persons with a valid California Campfire Permit are allowed to use portable stoves and lanterns using gas, jellied petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel within the designated Campfire Use Sites only. You must clear all flammable material for a distance of five feet in all directions from your camp stove, have a shovel available, and ensure that a responsible person attends the stove at all times when it is in use. California Campfire Permits are available for free download from the Los Padres National Forest website (http://www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf) as well as at all Forest Service offices.
    
• Recreational target shooting is prohibited in all areas of the National Forest except in the two shooting ranges under special use permit, i.e., Winchester Canyon Gun Club and Ojai Valley Gun Club; however, hunting with a valid State of California hunting license during open hunting season is exempt from this restriction.

• Smoking is prohibited in all areas of the national forest except within an enclosed vehicle, building, or designated Campfire Use Site. 

• Fireworks are prohibited at all times and in all locations within Los Padres National Forest.

• Operating or using any internal or external combustion engine without a spark arresting device properly installed, maintained and in effective working order on roads and trails specifically designated for such use. This restriction is in effect year-round. 

Violators are subject to a $5,000 fine and/or six months in jail, and could be liable for the full cost of any fire suppression activities that result from their actions. For further information regarding current conditions as well as safety tips, contact your nearest Forest Service office or visit the Los Padres National Forest website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf.

This Order is effective through December 31, 2021.

###

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.