Highway 1 Update, released last night

The simple version is that the southern closure will be moved to Ragged Point by 5 pm, 2/8/23. The northern closure remains at Lime Creek. Friday is still a caravan from Mill Creek to Ragged Point at 8, 12, 4. Sunday, 2/12 the southern closure will move to approximately the Pacific Valley area with the northern closure remaining at Lime Creek.

Date:	Tuesday, February 7, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.
District:	05 – Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties
Contact:	Kevin Drabinski or Alexa Bertola
Phone:	(805) 549-3138 or (805) 549-3237

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UPDATE #21

HIGHWAY 1 CLOSURE AREA SHORTENED, LOCAL CONVOY SET FOR FRIDAY FEBRUARY 10 NEAR THE SAN LUIS OBISPO/MONTEREY COUNTY LINE

MONTEREY / SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTIES – Caltrans and contracted crews continue to perform repairs on Highway 1 which have resulted in a closure of the roadway from just south of Ragged Point in San Luis Obispo County to Lime Creek in Monterey County. On Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 5 pm the highway will re-open through Polar Star to Ragged Point. The perimeter of the southern closure will move from the elephant seal viewing area in San Simeon to Ragged Point. Highway 1 will remain closed at Lime Creek (PM 32) in the north.

Polar Star:

Crews have made good progress on slide removal and drainage restoration efforts at Polar Star, one mile south of Ragged Point in San Luis Obispo County, following a major slide which took place on Jan. 4.

Highway 1 at Polar Star is scheduled to reopen to public traffic by 5 PM on Wednesday, February 8.

Convoys are still planned between Ragged Point and near Mill Creek Slide for Friday, February 10^th. The convoys will depart from Mill Creek (PM 18) at 8 am and travel south to the closure limit at Ragged Point (PM 72) in San Luis Obispo County. The convoy will then turn around and head north back to the closure at Mill Creek.

The convoy will repeat this trip again, starting at Mill Creek at 12 pm and 4 pm.

From Ragged Point, locals will be able to enter the closure area around 9 am and 1 pm with the convoy to head north.

Residents are asked to wait at their driveways if they wish to join the convoy as it passes.

Again, this convoy will take place on Friday, Feb. 10 with starts at Mill Creek at 8 am, 12 noon, and 4 pm.

Highway 1 from Ragged Point to south of the Mill Creek Slide is scheduled to reopen to the public by the evening of Sunday Feb. 12, weather permitting.

Once Highway 1 at Ragged Point reopens to the public on Sunday Feb. 12, travelers will be able to travel north to PM 16 where the road closure will be. 

Travelers can expect lane closures with reversing traffic control 7 days a week from 7 am to 5 pm. Travelers can expect delays up to 30 minutes over the next month to allow for slope drapery, erosion control, restoring and repairing damage to the roadway at Polar Star and other locations along the Coast.

A turnaround is anticipated to be established in the Pacific Valley area (PM 16) until Mill Creek is fully reopened.

The estimated time for the reopening of Highway 1 through Mill Creek is estimated at six weeks, weather permitting. As work progresses there in the coming weeks, Caltrans will be looking for opportunities to allow convoys through at Mill Creek.

Monterey County Postmile 0.8

Repairs continue at PM 0.8 in Monterey County where storm damage has undermined parts of the southbound lane. Once Highway 1 reopens at Polar Star on Wednesday, Feb. 8, a temporary traffic signal will support one-way reversing traffic control at this location. The southbound lane will remain behind k-rail while structural repairs are being performed.

Paul’s Slide PM 22

Drone imagery suggests that this winter’s storms created a large landslide within an even larger magnitude slide at PM 22.

The full road closure of Highway 1 through Paul’s Slide is expected to be long term. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.