Date:	Thursday, July 24, 2025
District:	05 – Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties
Contact:	Celeste Morales or Kevin Drabinski
Phone:	(805) 549-3237 or (805) 549-3138

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UPDATE #5

FULL SCALE EXCAVATION RESUMES AT REGENT’S SLIDE 

MONTEREY COUNTY – Crews are continuing with repairs to Regent’s Slide, which closed Highway 1 on February 9, 2024.

Crews at Regent’s Slide resumed full-scale excavation activities in mid-July following the installation of 2,000 shear dowels, which have been drilled and grouted into the cut slope, above the active work area, to stabilize slope movement identified in late-April.

An array of monitoring equipment has confirmed that the shear dowels are having the intended effect of mitigating further slide activity. As the top-down excavation advances, crews will continue to install shear dowels in the cut slope behind them, providing immediate and long-term reinforcement of the slope. To date, the installation of 2,000 shear dowels has included almost 23 miles of steel and 900 tons of cement.

Excavation work is continuing with the combined use of both conventional and remote-controlled equipment. The remote-controlled equipment, including two large bulldozers and one excavator, remain an integral component to the advancement of excavation and removal of slide material. Crews continue to work seven days a week and extended hours on these repair efforts.

With the resumption of full-scale excavation work, Caltrans will be in a position to provide an updated estimate on the full reopening of Highway 1 at Regent’s Slide in mid-September.

Big Sur Coast Remains Accessible and Open

Visitors can access more than 100 miles of Highway 1 between Cambria and Carmel, except for the 6.8-mile segment one mile south of the Esalen Institute to two miles north of Lucia.

Travelers from Northern California can still access historic bridges, waterfalls, restaurants, and lodging amenities along the Big Sur coast. Travelers from Southern California can reach the endearing communities of Lucia, Gorda, Treebones, Ragged Point, San Simeon, and Cambria via Highway 1.

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.

For more information about transportation projects and funding, visit: Build.ca.gov.

Date:	Wednesday July 23, 2025
District:	05 – Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties
Contact:	Celeste Morales or Kevin Drabinski
Phone:	(805) 549-3237

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FULL OVERNIGHT CLOSURE OF HIGHWAY 1 SOUTH OF CARMEL

SCHEDULED FOR JULY 27

MONTEREY COUNTY – Caltrans will implement a full overnight closure of Highway 1 at Rocky Creek, approximately 12 miles south of Carmel, on Sunday, July 27, to accommodate emergency repairs to a seawall beneath the highway.

The closure will begin at 10 p.m. on Sunday, July 27, and the highway is scheduled to reopen by 6 a.m. on Monday, July 28.

This work is part of an emergency project to reconstruct and reinforce the seawall that protects the south end of the Rocky Creek Bridge and the slope beneath the recently constructed viaduct. The repairs will enhance the seawall’s ability to withstand wave action and prevent further erosion.

During the full closure, crews will deploy a crane that will straddle both lanes; no through traffic will be allowed during the work window. Travelers are advised to plan and avoid the area during closure hours.

Big Sur Remains Accessible and Open

Travelers are reminded that over 100 miles of Highway 1 on the Big Sur coast remain open and accessible. Travelers from northern California will find easy access to historic bridges, waterfalls, restaurants, and lodging amenities.

Travelers from southern California will find that the highway brings them directly within reach of the unparalleled views, lodging amenities, and natural wonders of Lucia, the Camaldoli Hermitage, Gorda, Ragged Point, San Simeon, and Cambria.

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.

There is some good aerial footage provided by Caltrans on this news report by Felix Cortez of KSBW: https://www.ksbw.com/article/highway-1-reopening-brings-big-sur-businesses/65452677

For a similar report from KSBY in San Luis Obispo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRzXJfKk9C4

This is a good summary of the meeting Caltrans had with local business owners as summarized by Kirk Gafill:

Secretary Omishakin announced that Caltrans anticipates being able to provide a timeline/time frame for re-opening the highway by mid-September of this year.  Further, the Secretary made absolutely clear that the state and governor were “all in” on clearing this slide and re-opening the highway safely and at the earliest opportunity.  This commitment was something that the Secretary was informed had not been clearly reflected in the media or in public statements by the state and he and VisitCA team appeared to appreciate importance of including that critical commitment in outreach going forward to hopefully offset the persistent negative publicity by the national and regional media that often has raised issue of whether it is worth re-opening the highway or was keeping it open sustainable.

Safety was a key topic repeatedly referenced throughout all of the briefing and subsequent discussions generally and specific to this project due to the unique and complex site conditions that require line of sight visibility for spotters each working period (goal is to be working every daylight hour as conditions permit), in conjunction with drone, and remote sensor monitoring for slide movement.  Thus, coastal fog has been a delaying factor in this phase of the project, though yesterday’s weather was clear.

The mid-September update is based on estimated time to bring current work area 100′ down the slide face to the level of the rocky outcropping where the original work area was for the original lower slide last August.  Once at rocky outcropping, Caltrans team expressed confidence that they will then be working in a geological formation that they are very familiar with and once they are successful in clearing that formation, they then have 350′ further to get down to the highway level.  This last 350′ though is anticipated to be a “scaling” operation rather than a major excavation operation, which should allow for a faster completion rate and metal netting will be draped and affixed to the slide face from the rocky outcropping section down to the highway level to protect workers below and future rock/material impacts on the highway after re-opening (there are numerous examples on the Big Sur Coast and this has proved to be a successful preventative effort on other slide areas, such as Alder Springs).

Excavation has resumed for the first time in approx. 2 months.

Shear dowels to stabilize slope above work area strategy is working well and has essentially been completed down to current work level and will continue concurrently with excavation.  Based on descriptions of the past challenges of having to pull workers and equipment off the slide due to variable and persistent upper slide activity (sometimes as a result of the work involved to clear the slide), this comprehensive approach of installing shear dowels appears to be very successful in stabilizing slopes above work areas.

Contractor lead who has significant experience on multiple Big Sur coastal slide and highway repair projects and on-site Caltrans engineers were optimistic that once they got to highway level (150` above sea level), that there was a reasonably good chance, based on past slides, that highway road bed could be in good shape and that repaving/re-opening highway at that point could be done quickly (i.e. within a week per contractor).

Clearly, based on the past experience with this slide it is  premature to be unduly optimistic or to project with any confidence a re-opening time right now, but I found that in speaking with many of the geotech and engineering leads a high level of confidence that the shear dowel strategy is proving itself and that this project can now move forward (keep fingers crossed for limited fog this summer)  with hopefully far fewer and more limited non-weather related delays.

And from the History Channel, the history of the construction of Highway One, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRzXJfKk9C4. Some fascinating original black and white photos of the building of the road.

• Originally, I had written Mid-August per the KSBW, Felix Cortez’ story, but what Caltrans actually said was Mid-September, and so I changed it to avoid confusion. He also said he did not see it opening in the foreseeable future.

The “Good Trouble, Necessary Trouble” National Day of Action is being held on July 17th, the anniversary of Congressman John Lewis’s passing, to honor his legacy of nonviolent protest and defend democracy. 

Thursday, July 17: Good Trouble Live Special  – Online 4:30 PT, 5:30 MT, 6:30 CT, 7:30 ET

Norman Eisen is joined by special guests, including Jim Acosta, Katie Phang & Rep. Jamie Raskin to cover the national day of protest, share personal stories about John Lewis, and revive and inspire the threatened, ongoing battle for democracy.

GOOD TROUBLE LIVES ON:

Thu, Jul 17

12:00 PM — 1:30 PM PDT

East Village Cambria

Cambria, CA 93428

For an event near you, see: https://goodtroubleliveson.org/

The Big Sur Fund in Memory of Weston Call provides sustainable, impactful and supplemental funding to nonprofit organizations benefiting the residents of Big Sur and builds resources for disaster relief. Each year, the Big Sur Fund Advisory Council (made up of community volunteers) determines where to award grants for greatest impact based on their communities’ highest priority needs. The Big Sur Fund is currently accepting 2025 Grant Applications, due by August 1, 2025by 5:00 PM or earlier. Details and to apply: cfmco.org/bigsurgrants

This  opportunity supports organizations working within Big Sur, with a focus on Health, Safety, Education, Arts, Culture and Community Stewardship. The Big Sur Fund granted $21,000 in 2024 and more than $134,000 since 2019. For more details, please visit: cfmco.org/BigSur The Big Sur Fund in Memory of Weston Call is a special purpose fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County.

I’m reaching out on behalf of the Monterey Chapter of the Forest Fire Lookout Association to share a press release about our new fundraising campaign to support urgent maintenance and preservation work at the historic Chews Ridge Fire Lookout on Tassajara Road.

As one of the last active fire detection towers on California’s Central Coast—and a beloved part of local wildfire history—we believe this is a story that will resonate with your audience.

We’d be grateful if you could help us spread the word by sharing the campaign through your networks, newsletters, or social media. Every bit of visibility helps us protect and preserve this important resource. You can view and share the fundraising page here: https://crlo.betterworld.org/campaigns/restore-chews-ridge

Please let me know if you’d like more information, photos, or to speak with a member of our team—we’re happy to provide whatever you need.

With appreciation,
Martha
Monterey Chapter, Forest Fire Lookout Association