I held back a couple of my favorite photos of Rat Creek this week. Both by Cal Trans.

This is the beginning of the article I wrote for Voices this week:

“Dave Nelson has had a front-row seat to all the action at Rat Creek — from the destruction of Highway 1 to its rebuilding.

He first contacted me on a Wednesday morning, Jan. 27, about what he was witnessing there. He had been in contact with Caltrans, and after our emailed conversations, I also contacted Caltrans by phone later that afternoon. One day later, he watched the highway slowly being eaten by the great equalizer — constant water flow.

For the rest of the article, visit: https://voicesofmontereybay.org/2021/03/05/reconstruction-at-rat-creek/

All photos by Cal Trans

For Immediate ReleaseMarch 4, 2021https://panetta.house.gov

Contact:  Sarah Cronin(202) 225-4344Sarah.Cronin@mail.house.gov

Congressman Panetta Calls for Emergency Federal Funding Following January Storm Damage toNacimiento-Fergusson Road

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) has sent a letter to Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) leadership requesting accelerated funding through the Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads (ERFO) program to support critical repairs of Nacimiento-Fergusson Road in the Monterey District of the Los Padres National Forest (LPNF).  The funding will be used to repair damages sustained during the January 2021 winter storms.

“After one of the worst wildfire seasons in local history, communities on the Central Coast are now dealing with the after-effects of the fires in the form of destructive slides due to the recent storms,” said Congressman Panetta.  “Since part of Highway 1 is in the Pacific Ocean and inaccessible, many residents and first responders are relying on the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road as way to get to the South Coast of Big Sur.  Unfortunately, this crucial access road is severely damaged and requires major repairs to remain in use.  I am calling on the Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration to activate the Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads program for Nacimiento-Fergusson road to keep our communities connected to vital resources.”

Nacimiento-Fergusson Road is a critical access point for Central Coast residents.  It is the only east-west highway that connects Highway 1 and the Salinas Valley with Highway 101 and Big Sur.  The road sustained critical damage during the Dolan Fire, which was worsened by the January 2021 storm that destroyed a portion of Highway 1 at Rat Creek.  

Read the full text of the letter below:

Dear Administrator Pollack,

I write to request your full and fair consideration of accelerated Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) funding through the Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads (ERFO) program to support critical repairs of Nacimiento-Fergusson Road in the Monterey District of the Los Padres National Forest (LPNF).

Earlier this year, an atmospheric river stalled over burn scars on the central coast of California, resulting in significant damage to Nacimiento-Fergusson Road and adjacent roadways, including a massive slip out of Highway 1 at Rat Creek. 

As FHWA assesses the request and need for ERFO funding, I want to elevate the importance of continued repair and resiliency of Nacimiento-Fergusson Road.  With the large-scale damage at Rat Creek, effectively closing Highway 1 for the foreseeable future, Nacimiento-Fergusson Road has become a critical access throughway for residents, first responders, and small businesses on the South Coast of Big Sur.  The road requires both major repairs to existing slips and immediate culvert clearance and rehabilitation to ensure that it remains intact in the anticipated event of additional rainfall. Engineers report that between 50 and 60 percent of Nacimiento-Fergusson Road is in danger of major damage if no preventive action is taken. 

I appreciate your timely consideration of this request that impacts not only Nacimiento-Fergusson Road as a federal transportation asset, but also surrounding residents and emergency response personnel who depend on the road to connect to the broader community.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to my office should you have any questions about Nacimiento-Fergusson Road and my support of ERFO funding to ensure its continued function.

Sincerely, Jimmy Panetta

Member of Congress

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These were taken yesterday, March 3 by Cal Trans.

Busy week. Met this lovely lady when she checked me in for my 1st covid shot at the VA clinic in Marina — Jaime Goncalves — her husband is a firefighter and they have followed this blog for a while.

Then went out to lunch at Woody’s, used to be the Golden Tee, at the Monterey Airport so Rock Knocker could watch the planes take off and land.

Had a lovely beet salad. (Do not recommend the clam chowder — way too thin and watery, although plenty of clams.)

And started our trip of 225 miles one way by seeing this at San Carpoforo, Look at the color in that river.

There is a lengthy and interesting article featured in the Washington Post today. The full article can be found here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/interactive/2021/highway-one-big-sur-wildfires-climate-change/

“Feb 27, 2021, Gorda, CA — Life here in this tiny town built on the continent-ending cliffs of the Pacific coast has always had an anxious “when,” not “if,” quality to it. And much of that uncertain fate, season to season and year to year, has been tied to the two-lane road that runs through it.

Highway 1 is a California spectacle, a Depression-era monument to the state’s quixotic ambitions and stunning beauty. It runs from the Orange County surf haven of Dana Point in the south into cannabis-cultivating Mendocino County, carrying heavy traffic over the Golden Gate Bridge and under the bluffs of Santa Monica, where it is better known as the Pacific Coast Highway, on its 650-mile route.

But it is here in the middle, in one of the highway’s emptiest and most awesome stretches, where it is also most in peril. California’s shifting weather patterns are presenting new threats to this exotic road as wildfire reaches into places it has never been, leaving raw landscapes and fresh dangers in its burn path.

Late last month, pounding rains brought a torrent of mud and tree trunks the size of small boats through the narrow culvert at Rat Creek, about 25 miles north of here, where a wildfire had burned just months before.”

As climate change and overpopulation both increase, and https://www.visitcalifornia.com/ and https://www.seemonterey.com/ continue to reach out to encourage more visitation, the threat of wildfire is only going to increase proportionally. We will be facing more and more of these multi-month closures on the highway that is the life blood of not just Big Sur, but of the county and the state as well. That is why when it closes, residents enjoy the silence and peace it brings. We are reminded of why we came here in the first place, and can enjoy it again for a few days, weeks, or months — in road closure season and wildfire season, when the strains put on her resources by visitors are lessened.

Date:	Thursday, February 25, 2021
District:	05 – Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz Counties
Contact:	Kevin Drabinski or Jim Shivers
Phone:	(805) 549-3138 or (805) 549-3237

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

CALTRANS ANNOUNCES EMERGENCY REPAIRS FOR HIGHWAY 1 AT RAT CREEK 

OPENING SCHEDULED FOR EARLY SUMMER

MONTEREY COUNTY – Caltrans announced today that major emergency repairs of Highway 1 on the Big Sur Coast at Rat Creek will begin March 1 and that it estimates it will reopen the famed roadway early this summer. Debris flow from the Dolan Fire burn scar washed out a 150-foot section of roadway January 28, causing a full closure. 

After assessing the damage, removing debris and making minor repairs, Caltrans will reconnect the roadway at Rat Creek with an enhanced fill option. Caltrans will fill the canyon with dirt in a large V-shape and construct a new road on top of the fill.

“Caltrans crews have been onsite since this highway section washed out in the recent storms to assess the damage, and we’re pleased to announce emergency construction begins next week to repair and reconnect the highway,” said Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin. “Highway 1 is an iconic roadway that connects travelers with small businesses on the Central Coast, and we’re focused on restoring travel on this section by early summer.”

The enhanced fill option also involves replacing the main drainage system at Rat Creek with an oversized main culvert, a secondary culvert and smaller overflow culverts closer to the highway grade. This will increase the capacity of the drainage system, add redundancies designed to withstand future debris flows and enhance the resiliency and sustainability of the highway against rising sea level and coastal erosion.

“The repairs for Highway 1 at Rat Creek include improvements that can prevent similar damage from future debris flows,” said Caltrans District 5 Director Tim Gubbins. “We look forward to swiftly making these repairs so that all travelers will have a safe and resilient stretch of highway.”

Caltrans estimates the repairs will cost $11.5 million, including $5 million in ongoing emergency repairs north of Rat Creek. The contractor is Papich Construction of Arroyo Grande.

Approximately five miles of Highway 1 will be closed to all vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle traffic during repairs. The northern turnaround is two miles north of Rat Creek at the Lime Creek Bridge at PM 32.1, and the southern closure is at Big Creek Vista Point at PM 27.3.

The plan calls for work seven days a week during daylight hours, with longer shifts possible as the project progresses. The repair work involves the manipulation of tens of thousands of cubic yards of material, and rain could cause delays. Caltrans will adjust the timetable, as necessary. 

All businesses and activities south of Rat Creek in communities including Lucia, Gorda, Treebones, Ragged Point, San Simeon and Cambria will continue to remain accessible from the south on Highway 1. Similarly, the entire stretch of Highway 1 north of the closure, from Monterey and Carmel to the businesses and recreational facilities of the greater Big Sur area will be open for business and unaffected by the closure. Only through traffic on Highway 1 is affected by the washout at Rat Creek.

Above: Rat Creek on California’s Highway 1; looking south on the morning of January 29, 2021.

Aerial photo showing debris and the washout of Highway 1 on February 1, 2021.

Excavators removing debris from the canyon February 11, 2021.

Caltrans reminds motorists to move over and slow down when 

driving through highway work zones.

For traffic updates on other state highways in Monterey County, travelers may contact Caltrans District 5 Public Affairs at 805-549-3318or can visit the District 5 website at: https://dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-5

Date: February 22, 2021To: Big Sur ResidentsFrom: Peloton ShootRe: Film Production Activity Scheduled for Thursday March 4rth, 2021 & Friday March 5th, 2021 on Highway 1 in the Big Sur Area (Rocky Creek & Point Sur Lighthouse)

In an effort to better communicate with Big Sur residents and business owners regarding upcoming film activities in the area, this is to notify you of a permitted film shoot to take place on Thursday March 4th, 2021- Friday March 5th, 2021 from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm. Our work will require intermittent traffic control (ITC) at and near Bixby Bridge and Hwy 1, Mile Markers: MON 60.1 to MON 51.2. As per our permit, a portion of parking at the Bixby Bridge turnout will also be used for staging.

We will be hiring California Highway Patrol officers to facilitate the ITC and to ensure public safety and access with only brief traffic holds.
We have taken all necessary steps to ensure that the required permits have been obtained and will comply with restrictions necessary for a safe and efficient shoot.

The production company would like to show its appreciation to the community with a donation to the Big Sur Fire Brigade & Big Sur Health Center.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. I hope this advance notice is helpful for you to plan your day.Sincerely yours,Rod WeinerLocation Manager 415.606.1146rweiner8@gmail.com