MONTEREY/SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTIES – Crews continue to make repairs on Highway 1 at Paul’s Slide on the Big Sur coast. The estimated date for a full reopening of Highway 1 at Paul’s Slide remains late spring of 2024.
Repair crews have concentrated their efforts on grading of the site and continued to deliver fill material to the south end of the repair to support the new alignment of the road.
Once further progress has been made on bringing up the elevation of the south end of the repair, crews will conduct additional surveys of the site to establish the exact path of the new course of the road which will be elevated as much as 60 feet and slightly inland from its previous course.
Final design of the drainage infrastructure has been completed. Crews have started on-site fabrication of the elements that will make up five new independent culvert systems.
Future work at the repair includes installation of protective rockfall barriers on the northbound side, installation of drainage infrastructure, and guardrail in the southbound direction.
As expected, recent rains have resulted in single and multiple days of a loss of production. Crews work to prepare the site in advance of forecasted rain and then work around the effects of saturated ground at the repair site after the rain.
Crews will continue to work seven days a week and the estimated date for a full reopening of Highway 1 at Paul’s Slide remains late spring of 2024.
Highway 1 remains open for travel from the Monterey/Carmel area to .6 miles south of the town of Lucia, and from the Cambria/San Simeon area north to Limekiln State Park. No vehicle, bicycle, or pedestrian traffic is permitted across the repair site at Paul’s Slide due to construction activities and the potential for slides and rockfall.
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.
Drainage works are not visible in the photo. It appears that the approximately 2:1 “natural” slope has been steepened (to 1 1/2:1 or steeper?) on the inland side. Will the upper slopes remain stable over time under these conditions?
Is the apparent trough (fractured, loosened formational “boulders”) on the southerly end of the project intended to capture all of the pieces of rock that come down? Will it fill up some day or will the detritus require periodic removal? How have the fill materials been made stable?