| Date: | Friday, August 16, 2024 |
| District: | 05 – Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties |
| Contact: | Kevin Drabinski or Genelle Padilla |
| Phone: | (805) 549-3138 or (805) 549-3237 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CALTRANS HALTS EXCAVATION WORK AT REGENT’S SLIDE ON HIGHWAY 1
DUE TO SLIDE ACTIVITY
Much of Highway 1 along the Big Sur coast remains accessible and open
MONTEREY COUNTY – Caltrans today announced that it has temporarily halted excavation work on Highway 1 at Regent’s Slide due to continuing slide activity in and around the repair site. While much of Highway 1 along the Big Sur coast remains accessible and open, Caltrans engineers are now assessing the slide area and gathering data to keep the public informed of the new timeline for reopening.
While excavating the slope with bulldozers earlier this month, crews noticed surface cracking at several points around the area being excavated, indicating additional slide activity. Caltrans mapped this cracking and determined that this new slide would likely continue to move and impact the ongoing work to reopen the roadway. For the safety of work crews, Caltrans halted excavation work.
Highway 1 at Regent’s Slide has been closed since February 9, 2024, due to a slide that originated 450 feet above the roadway. The slide displaced material that engulfed the roadway and continued down to the beach and ocean below. While Caltrans has made progress toward reopening the roadway, repair efforts have been challenged by the height and steepness of the slope, which have required flexibility and frequent adjustments to repair strategies to ensure the safety of workers on site.
Although through travel on Highway 1 from Carmel to Cambria is not possible at this time, travel to the communities of Cambria, San Simeon, and all the amenities of the south coast continue to be within reach from Southern California, as do businesses and attractions on the coast south of the Monterey/Carmel area coming from Northern California.
Earlier this week, Caltrans installed three sensors where surface cracking was observed. Caltrans will collect data from these sensors over the next several weeks to determine the magnitude, rate, direction, depth, and type of movement involved. Engineers will evaluate data to determine if additional stabilization work is needed. Excavation work will resume once Caltrans confirms it is safe to do so.
A 6.8-mile segment of Highway 1 will remain closed while repairs continue. Regent’s Slide is located 45 miles south of Carmel at Post Mile (PM) 27.8. The southern turnaround point on Highway 1 is at PM 25.3, two miles north of Lucia. The northern turnaround point is located at Lime Creek at PM 32.1, just south of the Esalen Institute.
Road information and updates can also be found on Caltrans District 5 Social Media platforms: X/Twitter at: @CaltransD5, Facebook at: Caltrans Central Coast (District 5) and Instagram at: Caltrans_D5.
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Glad the operators are looking out for themselves. "Cracks" can be small or very large, slow moving or sudden. There is NO way to predict such phenomena. How many lives is the highway worth?
Highway One through Big Sur hasn't been open to through traffic (from Carmel to Cambria) since January 4, 2023. A full 2-year plus closure is looking increasingly likely - especially if we get early rain. It would be interesting to see a graphic showing how many days per year average the road has been closed in each decade since it was built. I have a feeling the trend line was already climbing before this massive spike.
I remember Sandy Sanderson telling a story about one of the early slides out there. A D8 Cat operator drove across the slide to get the mail for PV. After giving Sandy the mail the Cat operator returned to work, only to be swept off the hillside by another slide. Sandy said they never recovered the body. 💔
That was the Big Slide of 1983, just north of Julia Pfeiffer Burns, the only time that I am aware of a dozer operator being “swept” of a slide, but he did fall from it with his dozer.
I get it and want everyone to be safe but for my business it’s been very challenging as I’m down at least 80% from the traffic I’m used to supporting the gallery coming from the north. Am just not picking up new clients who normally travel from SF to Carmel to Big Sur to Hearst Castle then Cambria.
It’s been worse than 2008. Very stressful.
Vault Gallery Est 1991
Kate, was that '83 slide the one that went through Coast Gallery?
The 83 slide was just north of Julia Pfeiffer Burns or McWay Canyon. There was a major slide at Lafler Canyon that affected Coast gallery. I remember it as being just north of the Gallery and taking out half a lane. I believe there was probably mud and debris that affected Coast gallery. Not sure if it was the same year, but probably the same decade.
It was in January of 1973 that the mudslide at Lafler Canyon buried a road-grading tractor and its operator.
Thank you for the update. Any idea when Limekiln will open back up?
"I get it and want everyone to be safe but for my business it’s been very challenging..."
Lives are more important than money. Period.
I am just an unqualified observer, but it seems to me it is time for a viaduct/one-sided bridge as was done for the slide in 2013 (?) south of Rocky Creek (not the current one).