The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office has upgraded Evacuation Warnings to Evacuation Orders for residents in areas of Salinas River due to flooding effective immediately and until further notice.

This one is from Ashleigh Seefeldt

That does not look good, and Monday night into Tuesday I think it is a good bet it will look worse.

Just got this photo around 3 pm from Rhea Withrow. Per Caltrans, this is above 20 ft long.

2 pm — I received this from a local and passed it on to Caltrans PIO, Kevin D. I will update when I have any additional information.

“I went down to bring Sam up for lunch here at the Hermitage.  I could not get to the Lucia employee driveway.  CHP and Caltrans at the major road collapse just north of Dane Creek.  There are two spots.  The one closest to the Hermitage is bad.  The retaining wall that was built a few years ago failed.  There is about 15 feet of it hanging in the air.  Highway is undercut past the middle line.  I informed the CHP of the 8 guests that need to get out.  I don’t know how that will happen.  But, what do I know?”

Full closure of #Hwy1 from Salinas Road to Highway 129 in #Watsonville due to flooding. No ETO. Please avoid all nonessential travel in the area. #Hwy129 Per Caltrans.

Date:	Sunday, March 12, 2023
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

FULL CLOSURE OF HIGHWAY 1 IN EFFECT DUE TO PÁJARO FLOODING

MONTEREY / SANTA CRUZ COUNTIES – A full closure of Highway 1 is in effect from one mile south the Monterey/Santa Cruz County line at Salinas Road, to Riverside Drive (Hwy. 129) in Watsonville in Santa Cruz County. There is no estimated time for reopening.

Drivers are urged to avoid travel in the North Monterey/South Santa Cruz County area. Contractors and public safety officials are working throughout the region as part of their storm response.

Conditions are dynamic. Please limit all non-essential travel. 

A detour is in place. Travelers may take Hwy. 156 or Hwy. 129 east to the US 101 to travel around the Hwy. 1 closure.

Travelers are urged to drive with caution on Hwy. 129 as crews are present and working to address previous storm damage at various locations on Hwy. 129.

If you must travel, know and understand the road conditions before you head out.

To monitor state highways, visit https://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/.

To monitor load roads in Monterey County, visit http://tinyurl.com/RoadsMC

To monitor local roads in Santa Cruz County, visit https://www.sccroadclosure.org.

A new atmospheric river, similar in intensity to our most recent rain event, is scheduled to arrive early next week accompanied by high winds.

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.
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Floodwaters from the Pajaro River levee breach have moved south towards Las Lomas and are beginning to impact Elkhorn Rd between Osborn Rd and Strawberry Rd. Be prepared for possible road closures. Drive slowly through the area and watch out for inundated areas of the roadway. Do not drive through flooded areas. Call 9-1-1 in case of an emergency.

Photo by Dan Danbon