Rain totals higher than expected

Down here, totals are between 1 and 3/4 and almost 2″. A lot more than expected, and it is still raining at 10:30 am. From John Lindsey in SLO:

“Scattered rain showers will continue through tonight. Today’s temperatures will be cooler under the cloud cover; however, overnight lows will remain mild with the subtropical moisture.

A stronger cold front is expected to arrive Tuesday morning with moderate to fresh (13 to 24 mph) southerly winds and rain. This system is expected to produce between 0.25 and 0.75 inches of rain and mountain snow above 6,500 feet. Nevertheless, there is a chance that this system could tap into a fetch of subtropical moisture, and if that happens, healthier amounts of precipitation are possible along the Central Coast and in the southern Sierra Nevada. There is also a chance of thunderstorms developing Tuesday afternoon. Rain showers should taper off by Tuesday night.

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Rain… 4/16/17

I walked Rock Knocker out a little before 3:30. I said, “It is raining.” He said, “No, it is not.” I said, “I can feel the moisture in the air. It will begin soon.” Five minutes later, it was raining. It has been raining steadily ever since. Not good for Mud Creek or Paul’s Slide. It will be important to see how much this storm brings us. It is here, again. At least it is not cold and there is no wind. It was very strange to feel the rain so strongly before it arrived.

Highway Closure Update, 4/13/17

Photos: 1) Two photos of Mud Creek (PM 8.9)—before (12 feet tall by 10 feet wide by 8 feet thick) and after blasting a boulder 2) Two photos at Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge Construction Site—relocating of utility poles—utility photos courtesy of Kyle Evans for Caltrans.

*Same information as Monday*

SR-1 Full Closure—Ragged Pt (SLO PM 72.87) to the Multi-Agency Facility “MAF”(MON PM 46.35).

· As roadwork to restore Mud Creek (PM 8.9) gets underway, effective Monday, April 17, residents going through Mud Creek (PM 8.9) will have an access window similar to Paul’s Slide, but longer to allow passage through both work sites. Resupply schedule on Fridays is also slightly longer.
· Nacimiento-Fergusson Road is open to the public.
· Public access on Highway 1, using Nacimiento-Fergusson, will be to Gorda (PM 10) to the south, and to Limekiln State Park (PM 20) to the north.
· Friday deliveries: Residents and deliveries will be allowed through at Paul’s Slide and Mud Creek once per week on Fridays between 5:00am – 9:30am, and 5:00pm – 8pm. Delivery vehicles are limited to 30 feet in length and up to 50,000 pounds.
· Residents have unlimited access between Gorda and Limekiln State Park and from north of Paul’s Slide to just south of Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge. Four gates are closing the roadway overnight at the following locations: 1) south end of Mud Creek (PM 8.8); 2) north end of Mud Creek (PM 8.9); 3) North end of Limekiln Creek Bridge (PM 21.07) and 4) north end of Hermitage wall (PM 22.42).
o Emergency services will have overnight access to the locked gates.

Mud Creek (PM 8.9):
· As of Monday, April 17, there will be limited resident access through Mud Creek due to major restorative work above the roadway; access is limited to 5am – 6:30am and 6:30pm – 8pm. This will be for a minimum of four to six weeks and we will continually evaluate for opportunities to improve local resident access.
· For now, unlimited resident access will continue to be allowed daily if they are in between the gated areas of Mud Creek and Paul’s, or north of Paul’s Slide to south of the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge closure.

Paul’s Slide (PM 21.6):
· As of March 22nd , there is limited access due to major excavation above the roadway; resident access is limited to 5:30am – 6:00am and 7:00pm – 7:30pm. This will be for a minimum six to eight weeks and we will continually evaluate for opportunities to improve local resident access.
· For the Friday opportunities to resupply, access is limited to vehicles weighing 50,000 lbs., with a maximum vehicle length of 30 feet.
· Work will performed 24/7 as conditions allow, and updates will continue to be provided.

IMPORTANT NOTE – CALTRANS PFEIFFER CYN. BRIDGE (PM 45.5):
· Demolition of the bridge is complete: The final span (span 1) came down Wednesday, March 22. Bridge debris clearing from the canyon is nearing completion and utility relocation has begun.** Please stay clear of the area for your own safety and to allow the construction team to work on re-building this vital part of the road.

All business north of the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge closure are open to the public.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
· Due to the nature of the construction activities, access will be subject to change on a regular basis.

· Another update regarding the Highway 1 Big Sur Coast will be provided mid-day on Wednesday, April 19 or sooner if conditions change.

· NOTE: For information on emergency services only (not Caltrans inquiries) for the Big Sur Coast, you may contact Gerry Malais, Mon. Co. OES via email at: malaisg@co.monterey.ca.us or Maia Carroll, Mon. Co. OES PIO at carrollm@co.monterey.ca.us.

· **Caltrans wishes to thank all the agencies that have been working with us to help expedite the repairs and reconstruction of the Highway 1 Big Sur Coast—especially and most recently, utility companies PG&E and AT&T for their expedited work and support in the reconstruction efforts at Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge.

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New Bridge Rendering

From a video released today. Most of the video just shows and discusses what has already happened, but this was buried in the video – the new bridge rendering.

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Hard Closure of Tap House Trail tomorrow, 4/11

From the Unified Command. 4/10/17

A reminder that the Pfeiffer Bypass Trail will have a hard closure tomorrow, Tuesday 4/11/17. This will be necessary due to a PG&E power pole rerouting. This rerouting will be done via helicopter and the area is adjacent to the trail. Hours of closure will be approximately 8:00 am o 4:00 pm. The closure will be staffed by State Parks at the north and south trail heads to allow for use when safe throughout the operational period. This operation may be postponed due to inclement weather.

There is NO access allowed across the Pfeiffer Canyon bridge area! Please take the trail through the park that the volunteers and CCCs spent so many hours working on so you could get back and forth. If anyone is injured in the bridge area work will stop until an investigation is done, possibly delaying work for quite some time.

Dogs are allowed on the Pfeiffer Canyon trail through the park, on leash only!

Thank you!

Martha Karstens, BSVFB, Gerry Malais, OES.