Highway 1 closure – up to a week

Date:	Wednesday, October 27, 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 CLOSED ON BIG SUR COAST JUST NORTH OF RAGGED POINT

MONTEREY COUNTY – Caltrans maintenance teams responded to a report of rockfall on Highway 1 this morning at Post Mile 0.25 in southern Monterey County, approximately two miles north of Ragged Point.

This rockfall has resulted in full closure of Highway 1 at Ragged Point, just north of the Ragged Point Inn, which remains open.

A full closure of southbound Highway 1 has been put in place at Gorda (PM 10).

Highway 1 remains open for local travel from Carmel to Gorda. Notification of the closure is being put in place at several locations along southbound Highway 1. 

Maintenance and geotechnical teams are on site and continue with their assessments of the area. In addition to rockfall on the road, there is concern about unsupported rock on the slopes immediately above the roadway. It is expected that the work area for machinery and equipment to address these conditions will need to cover the entire roadway.

This morning, Caltrans entered into a new emergency contract for $500,000 with Papich Construction of Arroyo Grande to make necessary repairs. Crews and equipment have already been mobilized and work will occur 7-days a week during daylight hours as long as site conditions are safe for crews.

Early assessments indicate that Highway 1 may be closed for up to one week. Updates will be provided by close of business on Thursday, October 28, as more information becomes available.

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

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Kevin Drabinski

Public Information Officer