Highway 1 in Watsonville Closed & Elkhorn Rd impacted by Pajaro levee break

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.