| Date: | Friday, July 21, 2023 |
| District: | 05 – Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties |
| Contact: | Jim Shivers or Alexa Bertola |
| Phone: | (805) 549-3237 or (805) 549-3237 |
(BTW, I think the photos below are from last week, as I was told there was fog there today)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE UPDATE #46
NO ESTIMATE FOR REOPENING OF HIGHWAY 1 AT PAUL’S SLIDE PENDING FURTHER GEOTECH INVESTIGATIONS MONTEREY/SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTIES – Due to recent continued slide activity at the repair site at Paul’s Slide, an estimate for a possible reopening date for Highway 1 will not be attempted until further Geotech investigations are completed. Geotech teams continue to study drone imagery and other measurements of recent slide activity. The fact that the mountain continues to move makes a possible reopening date a moving target as well. Crews have been working all daylight hours, seven days a week at Paul’s Slide since April of this year. The safety of our crews remains the first priority. At this time, it is not known when a refreshed estimate for reopening the highway will be made. Further information on progress at Paul’s Slide and Dani Creek will be made as updates become available. Two miles of Highway 1 between Lucia and Limekiln State Park remain closed due to the repair at Paul’s Slide. However, the entire segment of Highway 1 on the Big Sur coast from Cambria to Limekiln, and from Monterey to Lucia, remains open. In addition, repairs to a major slip out at Dani Creek at PM 22.6 continue. Crews are focusing on the tunneling operation to install a culvert through the fill below the roadway with drilling work to begin next week. Repairs at Dani Creek are expected to continue through mid-September.
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.
Thanks for posting the update, Kate. With a strong El Niño on the way this winter, it might be a long time before the mountain stops sliding away.
Can someone please give me coordinates for the Dani Creek “slide?”
“Refreshed estimate”…
Thank you for the information! We are trying to decide whether to call off a honeymoon trip in a rented RV down that road in September and this is the clearest info found anywhere. Looks like we may need to call if off and make other plans!
Making other plans will be the easiest and clearest option. There are campgrounds in Big Sur that one can reach from the north and stay in, IF you make reservations now. If you were planning on stopping along the highway, that is a $1000 fine. But no, you will not be able to drive all the way through by September. Best of luck on your wedding/honeymoon plans.
I sent you the MMs for it privately, and I am sure you can figure out the coordinates for it fromm that, but I don’t have the exact coordinates. I just know where it is, physically and on maps.
36.02053067196877, -121.54339251928363 Correct?
Thanks, Kate. Your email cleared up my confusion–engendered by the locations mentioned in the reports as being “immediately north” of Jack’s Slide.
Jack’s Slide? You mean Paul’s?
My errer!
Thank you for your very good information. I am sitting in wet & widy England waiting to do my bucket list harley drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles in September and your info is giving me much food for thought. Thanks and keep us posted 🙂
Mark, you will NOT be able to drive thru Big Sur on a Harley from SF to LA in Sept, in all likelihood. You could drive down as far as possible, then go back up and go over to 101, though.
From Cayucos, we can get you up to Limekiln, where you would then need to turn around. There are campgrounds open
The Southern half of Big Sur is spectacular- AND you would get to see it twice!
.! There are not just the stunning views but Hearst Castle and our beloved Elephant Seals.
Those traveling on Hwy 1 are taking a bit of a risk, given the state of things. All it takes is a rock on the body to do some damage.
hi Kate, I just happened onto your website as I was looking for a way around the slide area. My buddy and I will be riding motorcycles down the length of the PCH, from north to south in a little less than a month from now. Of course we know we’ll have to plan around this slide. Our current thinking is to come on down the PCH all the way to Dani’s Creek, then turn around and go back north to Carmel By The Sea and pick up local road G16 through Carmel Valley and on to Jolon, then take G14 to Paso Robles to 46 and back to the PCH. At that point, if we still have any daylight left, we might head back north up to Paul’s slide, then turn around and ride back to San Simeon, our lodging for the night. The point of all this is to a) allow us to experience the entire Big Sur length of the PCH (except for the two mile slide area) and b) to stay off the 101 and experience roads less traveled. Kate, do have any experience to share on the G16 and G14 alternate roads, such as, are they paved and maintained? We know it’s going to make for a long day, but we are riding all the way from Tennessee and Arkansas to experience the beauty of Big Sur and the PCH, so I would hate to detour from Monterey to Paso Robles via the 101 and miss all of Big Sur. Your thoughts and comments are appreciated!