Date:	Friday, September 27, 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

UPDATE #2

CONTINUED CRACKING AND LAND MOVEMENT AT REGENT’S SLIDE WILL DELAY REOPENING OF HIGHWAY 1

Nearly 100 Miles of Big Sur Coast Remain Accessible and Open

MONTEREY COUNTY – Caltrans announced today that due to continued cracking occurring at the repair site, a portion of previously damaged roadway located on Highway 1 at Regent’s Slide will not reopen in 2024. Updates on an estimated reopening date and the progress of repairs will be provided on a regular basis.

On August 16, Caltrans announced that repair work at Regent’s Slide would pause after crews discovered new surface cracks in the slope where major excavation efforts were underway. In the weeks since that update, continued land movement and slope cracking were observed during intensive project monitoring and investigation.

Before excavation work begins again, crews still need to monitor both the new slide and the area of undisturbed land above the project site where the start of new excavation work is planned. Data from these investigations will inform the repair design and major excavation work. Repairs will resume when crews and equipment can be positioned on stable ground above and behind the new slide activity.

This approach emphasizes Caltrans’ commitment to address challenging repairs using methods that prioritize crew safety while working diligently to open the roadway as soon as possible.

Date:	Wednesday, September 25, 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

UPDATE #11

UPCOMING REPAIR SCHEDULE ON HIGHWAY 1 AT ROCKY CREEK

TO INCLUDE FULL OVERNIGHT CLOSURES

MONTEREY COUNTY – Caltrans will continue with emergency repairs to Highway 1 near the Rocky Creek Bridge, 12 miles south of Carmel. Caltrans previously stabilized and reinforced Highway 1 at this location after a March 30slipout resulted in a loss of a section of the southbound lane.

Upcoming Repair Schedule

Drilling and casting of reinforced concrete columns will result in a series of full overnight closures of Hwy. 1 at Rocky Creek. All overnight closures will take place between 10 pm and 6 am.

·       For today, Wednesday Sept. 25, travelers will encounter delays of up to 30 minutes from 10 pm to 6 am, as crews stage equipment for drilling operations.

·       For Thursday Sept. 26, travelers will encounter a full closure from 10 pm to 6 am.

·       No closures are scheduled for Friday Sept. 27 and Saturday Sept. 28.

·       Five consecutive full overnight closures are confirmed from Sunday Sept. 29 thru Thursday Oct. 3, from 10 pm to 6 am. There will be no closures scheduled on Friday Oct. 4 and Saturday Oct. 5.

·       Lastly, from Monday Sept. 30 through Friday Oct. 4, during daytime hours, travelers may encounter intermittent delays of up to 15 minutes as a result of concrete operations.

Updates will be provided regarding any additional closures for the week of Oct. 6.

Overnight Closures Needed for Construction of Support Columns

Crews are entering a critical phase of construction of the southbound section of the Rocky Creek viaduct. This viaduct is a bridge-like structure and during this next phase reinforced concrete support columns will be cast to support the weight of the structure.

Because this phase of construction involves drilling and concrete work in open holes, it is necessary for crews to maximize the number of consecutive shifts with full overnight closures so that the integrity of the bored holes is preserved. Working on an uninterrupted schedule also allows for this phase to be completed in advance of wet weather, reducing the chance for water intrusion and delays to the project schedule.

Daytime travelers will continue to enjoy access through the repair site driving on the northbound lane and directed by a temporary signal system.

Once construction of the southbound section of the Rocky Creek viaduct is complete, travel will be directed onto this southbound section and work will begin on construction of the northbound portion of the viaduct.

The estimate for completion of the Rocky Creek viaduct is summer 2025 and is dependent on conditions encountered during construction. The contractor for this project is Gordon N. Ball, Inc. of Alamo, CA.

Highway 1 remains closed 40 miles south of Carmel due to the Regent’s Slide.

The Final Environmental Document for Limekiln Creek Bridge Replacement project has been posted and is available at this link: https://dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-5/district-5-current-projects/05-1f510

Alternatively, a hard copy is available at 50 Higuera Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401.

Thank you,

Hannah Butler

Environmental Scientist 

Caltrans District 5

Tom Little Bear Nason with an artifact Rock Knocker found. We turned it over to Tom last Sunday.

This is Alex from Vatsula Visuals again. Here is a link to the Sept BSMAAC meeting. I went ahead and added Chapters in the description of the video so viewers can jump to any agenda item they would like. My team and I are also working on a solution to livestream the meeting to YouTube and Facebook and will be working with the county team to get that going on their social media pages as well. 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and feel free to share this information and video with whomever may benefit. I am committed to making sure Big Sur has the clear communication and coverage it deserves! 

CALTRANS MODIFIES PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED SCHEDULE FOR

OVERNIGHT CLOSURES OF HIGHWAY 1 AT ROCKY CREEK

MONTEREY COUNTY – Caltrans will continue with emergency repairs to Highway 1 near the Rocky Creek Bridge, 12 miles south of Carmel. Caltrans previously stabilized and reinforced Highway 1 at this location after a March 30slipout resulted in a loss of a section of the southbound lane.

Repair Schedule Update

Caltrans has modified the previously announced overnight closure schedule on Hwy. 1 at Rocky Creek. All overnight closures will take place between 10 pm and 6 am.

·       For Wednesday Sept. 25, travelers will encounter delays of up to 30 minutes from 10 pm to 6 am, as crews stage equipment for drilling operations.

·       For Thursday Sept. 26, travelers will encounter a full closure from 10 pm to 6 am.

·       No closures are scheduled for Friday Sept. 27 and Saturday Sept. 28.

·       Five consecutive full overnight closures are confirmed from Sunday Sept. 29 thru Thursday Oct. 3, from 10 pm to 6 am. There will be no closures scheduled on Friday Oct. 4 and Saturday Oct. 5.

Updates will be provided regarding any additional closures for the week of Oct. 6.

Overnight Closures Needed for Construction of Support Columns

Crews are entering a critical phase of construction of the southbound section of the Rocky Creek viaduct. This viaduct is a bridge-like structure and during this next phase reinforced concrete support columns will be cast to support the weight of the structure.

Because this phase of construction involves drilling and concrete work in open holes, it is necessary for crews to maximize the number of consecutive shifts with full overnight closures so that the integrity of the bored holes is preserved. Working on an uninterrupted schedule also allows for this phase to be completed in advance of wet weather, reducing the chance for water intrusion and delays to the project schedule.

Daytime travelers will continue to enjoy access through the repair site driving on the northbound lane and directed by a temporary signal system.

Once construction of the southbound section of the Rocky Creek viaduct is complete, travel will be directed onto this southbound section and work will begin on construction of the northbound portion of the viaduct.

The estimate for completion of the Rocky Creek viaduct is summer 2025 and is dependent on conditions encountered during construction. The contractor for this project is Gordon N. Ball, Inc. of Alamo, CA.

Highway 1 remains closed 40 miles south of Carmel due to the Regent’s Slide.

Date:	Monday, September 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

UPDATE #9

TWO WEEKS OF FULL OVERNIGHT CLOSURES OF HIGHWAY 1 AT ROCKY CREEK TO BEGIN SUNDAY SEPT. 22 AS CREWS BUILD SUPPORT COLUMNS

MONTEREY COUNTY – Caltrans will continue with emergency repairs to Highway 1 near the Rocky Creek Bridge, 12 miles south of Carmel. Caltrans previously stabilized and reinforced Highway 1 at this location after a March 30 slipout resulted in a loss of a section of the southbound lane.

Overnight Closures Needed for Construction of Support Columns

Crews are entering a critical phase of construction of the southbound section of the Rocky Creek viaduct. This viaduct is a bridge-like structure and during this next phase reinforced concrete support columns will be cast to support the weight of the structure.

Because this phase of construction involves drilling and concrete work in open holes, it is necessary for crews to work consecutive shifts with full overnight closures so that the integrity of the bored holes is preserved. Working on an uninterrupted schedule also allows for this phase to be completed in advance of wet weather, reducing the chance for water intrusion and delays to the project schedule.

Upcoming Repair Schedule Update

This upcoming phase of construction involves an exception to the customary overnight work schedule and includes full overnight closures on a weekend.

Beginning Sunday September 22, and continuing through the morning of Friday October 4, travelers will encounter a full closure of Hwy. 1 at Rocky Creek from 10 pm to 6 am, to allow for construction of the reinforced concrete support columns.

Daytime travelers will continue to enjoy access through the repair site driving on the northbound lane and directed by a temporary signal system.

Once construction of the southbound section of the Rocky Creek viaduct is complete, travel will be directed onto this southbound section and work will begin on construction of the northbound portion of the viaduct.

The estimate for completion of the Rocky Creek viaduct is summer 2025 and is dependent on conditions encountered during construction. The contractor for this project is Gordon N. Ball, Inc. of Alamo, CA.

Highway 1 remains closed 40 miles south of Carmel due to the Regent’s Slide.

Barbara Ray took photos of this project last Weds and sent them to me. I have been on the road and in town in Carmel and this is my first opportunity to post them here on the blog. Nice to see Caltrans proactive, rather than reactive.

”Today [last Weds] was the start of the placing of the boulders. The last three and a half weeks have been preparing the site.  The Big Sur River had to be diverted to just the one western channel by a black aqua dam and another black aqua dam to prevent the secondary stream from coming through to the work area. The sides of the river in this area are protected by big gravel bags in case it rains before they are done.  Two vertical black culverts with holes was installed below the aqua dam and attached to sump pumps to pump out the ground water to keep the work area dry. Fish were stunned, removed from the work area and, released down stream below the work area. The blocks were removed to be replaced with boulders and redwood logs. The boulders are being staged at the Navy Base. The machines working in the construction area have to have “diapers” to prevent oil spills. “

River Inn — birthday party celebration to be held on Sunday Oct. 6th, with music by Peter Stock (son of the original Jake Stock of the Abalone Stompers) and friends starting at 1 pm. There will be BBQ and all sorts of great food and libations.