| Date: | Friday, January 6, 2023, at 3:45 pm |
| District: | 05 – Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties |
| Contact: | Kevin Drabinski or Jim Shivers |
| Phone: | (805) 549-3138 (805) 549-3237 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UPDATE #9
OPENING OF HIGHWAY 1 CLOSURE EXTENDED TO
SATURDAY JAN. 7 AT 4 PM (correct time is 5PM)
MONTEREY / SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTIES – Today’s reopening of the Highway 1 closure has been extended.
As a result of favorable weather and road conditions, Highway 1 will remain open between Ragged Point and Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn until 5 pm Saturday Jan. 7.
The gates at Paul’s Slide (PM 22), will remain open overnight as crews today were able to clean out the catchment area and road conditions in the area are favorable for public travel.
In anticipation of projected rains tomorrow afternoon and evening, Highway 1 between Deetjen’s and Ragged Point will be closed again on Saturday Jan. 7 at 5 pm. At that time, the gates at Paul’s Slide will remain closed 24-hours a day as series of winter storms is forecast to pass over the Big Sur Coast over the next several days.
Caltrans will continue to take advantage of any break in inclement weather to assess road conditions and provide access as long as the conditions are favorable for public travel. We anticipate that an opportunity to reopen this closure may occur sometime in the middle of next week.
The southern closure of Highway 1 will remain at the elephant seal viewing area, four miles north of San Simeon. A significant slide, one mile south of Ragged Point, extends over both lanes of travel. As a result, the highway is impassible at this location and is expected to restrict access to Ragged Point from the south for several weeks.
Road information and updates can also be found on Caltrans District 5 Social Media platforms: Twitter at: @CaltransD5, Facebook at: Caltrans Central Coast (District 5) and Instagram at: Caltrans_D5.