Tag: Cal-Trans

Current and Future Road Conditions, 1/29/12

Sorry, I’m a bit behind on reporting on current road conditions as the internet has not been cooperating. No predictions, this time. The GBS crew is now working on getting the wire “drapery” up, using their crane, and will continue to work on it through the weekend. Still no definitive answer about when the road will be open to traffic.

These are a couple photos Cal-Trans sent out to all news media Thursday and Friday. Together, they provide a good perspective of what Cal-Trans has been up against.

From looking at exactly where this slide happened – the rock shed they are building would not have prevented this closure, as it was south of the rock shed. Cal-Trans may want to consider extending the shed southward, which would require another bid, and another year or more of construction and one-lane passage. Probably not a bad idea, frankly, given the instability of this particular area. We have had to deal with Rain Rocks for decades, and were glad to see the rock-shed proposal move forward, despite the two years of construction.

A visual with field glasses from Plaskett by Rock Knocker reveals that all the material has been removed from the road, the crane has been moved, so maybe it WILL be open for tomorrow. The CHP website confirms this “possibility” with the following:

12:25 AM ROADWAY MAY REOPEN MONDAY 1-30-2012

Photo courtesy Cal-Trans

Photo courtesy of Cal-Trans

Current & Immediate Future of Highway One, 1/26/12

Ben Grasmuck, resident CHP officer sent me this, this morning:

“Good morning. I’m at the GSB trailer and just talked to John Matteuchi. They are going to work all weekend and if everything works “perfectly” the road will be open on Monday. They have to build a dirt platform in the roadway and park the crane on it to rehang the netting. We can’t even get an emergency vehicle through without an hour delay.
Yesterday, the scalers were rolling boulders down the hill and said they cannot declare the road safe until the netting is rehung.

Ben”
*****************************************************************

I got this from Cal-Trans yesterday:

“We made some progress on the hillside today but there is still a lot of
loose material on top that could fall onto the roadway. We should have an
estimate of opening by tomorrow or Friday. I would characterize this slide
as a medium scale event, not short-term but not long-term either.

Thanks for your support and outreach efforts, we really appreciate it.

Colin Jones
Public Affairs Manager
Caltrans District 5
(805) 549-3189
——————————–”

So, I am outta the prediction business, at least when it comes to mother nature and the road!

Closure Update, 1/24/12

8:00 am – I have not received any information yet this morning, but was informed by Colin Jones, PIO for Cal-Trans, District 5, last night that the geologists and climbing crew would be on-site today, climbing to the top to check out the conditions up there and making an assessment re: safety and clean-up. Considering what that entails, I do not anticipate any significant up-date until that is completed, sometime late this afternoon. As soon as I get word, I will post here, and to FB, for those who prefer social media. Also note that on the links to the right, under La Niña, 2011-2012, I have added the District 5 FB page, so you can follow them, if you choose, also.

For those of you needing to get through or to the area, and not familiar with the detours, I suggest 101 to 68 and across to Highway One, where you can either go north to Santa Cruz, or south to Big Sur. Nacimiento-Fergusson Rd. is a narrow, winding road, not recommended for those in RVs or for the faint-of-heart.

Road Closure Update, 1/23/12

Noon – From Cal-Trans:

Cal-Trans official press release says there is no anticipated date of re-opening of the road.

9:30 am – semi-official report: there is no equipment buried under the slide, none of the rock shed is affected, the slide didn’t take out the light, only the wires going to the light, and it is expected that the road will be open in 3-4 days, but still waiting for the geologist’s analysis.

8:30 am – reported by local in comment section below: “Just went for a look, was told by the flagger that the slide has buried part of the rock shed, with much of their equipment, and will probably be closed for at least a couple of days. Also unofficial, but that was at 8:20 this morning.” If all that equipment is buried, it will be more than a couple days!

7:30 am – Per one of my “unofficial” but very reliable sources, the slide occurred just south of the new Rock Shed at Rain Rocks, and took out the light on the southern end of the construction. I have no word from Cal-Trans “official” sources, yet, about how long the closure will last. I suspect I will not get any official word until mid-day or later, as the resident geologist will have to evaluate the situation, then get the word to the PR guys/gals. Will update as soon as I have additional information. BTW, the CHP website no longer shows this closure, but that does not mean it is open.

Upcoming Public Meetings

Sorry I haven’t been in cyberspace for a bit. End of summer approaches, and it is as if there is a frenetic energy for out of town visitors to beat the Labor Day crowds. My aunt and uncle come every year for a month to Pismo Beach, and it is my one time to visit, so I often go spend a few days down there. Out-of-state visitors are also coming for a visit in the next few days, and Rock Knocker has needed my help on some overnight projects lately, too. Of course, I squeeze some work in between all of this. Summer photos shortly.

Several Cal-Trans meetings are being held in the next two weeks that are of interest to all of us.

The first is regarding the design of the viaduct at Rocky Creek:
“HI Everyone,

We have scheduled our first Aesthetic Design Advisory Committee (ADAC) meeting to discuss the aesthetics of the proposed Rocky Creek Viaduct (bridge) railing, that will be constructed along the ocean side of the structure and will be designed to not only protect errant vehicles from the edge but also bicyclists and pedestrians.

The meeting will be held at the Big Sur Station Multi-Agency Facility on August 10, 2011 starting at 10:00 AM and lasting until approximately 1:00 PM or until we mutually agree we’ve covered the topics.

A packet of information will be emailed out to everyone prior to the meeting.

Thank you everyone for your participation!

Ken Dostalek
Caltrans, District 5
Project Management

805-549-3133
*************************************************************
The second addresses the truck climbing lane between Rio Rd. and Carmel Valley Road:

Road & Weather Update, 12/4/09

Spoke with Charlie Hench, Cal-Trans Engineer, this morning regarding the impact of the weather on the predicted night closure of Highway One between Ragged Point and the county line. He said, “Just because it rains, doesn’t mean the drilling won’t go on. It’s a safety issue.” He explained that each day the call would be made about whether to drill that night, and Charlie will then make the calls to notify people, including this reporter. This is a tough one for Cal-Trans, and for the traveling public. The work needs to be done to save the road, and cannot be done without closing the road from 8 pm until 5 am for four nights. The “official” news release for this came in today and is posted on the Cal-Trans page.

On the weather front this from the NOAA discussion:
“THE LATEST NAM12 AND GFS MODELS ARE INDC A SHIFT IN THE FCST THINKING FOR SUN THROUGH MON. WILL WAIT TIL THE 12Z ECMWF…WHICH WAS TRENDING COLDER TOO BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES. HOWEVER…IT IS LOOKING LIKE IT COULD BE COLD AND SHOWERY SUN NIGHT/MON MRNG WITH LOW SNOW LEVELS. IF IT CLEARS OUT MON NIGHT THERE COULD BE A FREEZE.”

So, I will update this again tonight, as bigsurkate is now on weather watch for the next week.

Upcoming Road Closure & Weather Alert- Important Information

Important Information! I have confirmed with Cal-Trans that Highway One will be closed Sunday night, 12/6 from 8 pm until 5 am and every night through Thursday, 12/10, between Ragged Point and the County line. Delay is possible due to the expected storms. This is to facilitate drilling possibly for tiebacks? THIS IS A HARD CLOSURE. NO ONE WILL BE ALLOWED THROUGH.

Given the forecast, delay seems likely: “WILL WAIT TO
THE 12Z ECMWF COMES IN BUT AM LEANING TOWARDS BUMPING UP POPS [probability of precipitation] FOR SUNDAY A BIT.

NOAA has issued this special weather statement as of this morning. Could be trouble next week for the contract above, and for all of us for the coming week!

…WET AND WINDY WEATHER PATTERN DEVELOPING NEXT WEEK WITH A SERIES OF SIGNIFICANT STORMS EXPECTED TO HIT THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL CALIFORNIA COAST…

A VERY WET AND WINDY WEATHER PATTERN IS SETTING UP NEXT WEEK BEGINNING LATE SUNDAY NIGHT AND LASTING INTO THE LATTER PART OF THE WEEK. A SERIES OF STORMS WILL SET UP OVER THE PACIFIC AND PUSH INTO CALIFORNIA THROUGHOUT THE WEEK.

THE RESULT OF THESE STORMS WILL BE STRONG WINDS WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAINFALL…ALONG WITH LARGE WAVES NEAR THE COAST AND HEAVY SNOW ACCUMULATION FOR HIGHER ELEVATIONS.

POTENTIAL IMPACTS FROM THESE STORMS INCLUDE:

* URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOODING ALONG WITH POSSIBLE FLASH FLOODING AND DEBRIS FLOWS.
* HIGH WINDS THAT CAN DOWN TREES AND POWER LINES PRODUCING POWER OUTAGES.
* HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS DUE TO VERY SLIPPERY ROAD CONDITIONS.
* DANGEROUS NEAR SHORE CONDITIONS DUE TO HIGH SURF FROM LARGE WAVES.

THIS IS A POTENTIALLY SERIOUS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT: HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SANFRANCISCO FOR THE LATEST WEATHER UPDATES ON THIS STORM SYSTEM.

CT Projects & Announcements

Two new Cal-Trans projects began this week. See CT page for details. Also, two new announcements posted on the announcement page.

Dakota and I are resting comfortably today. Photos later, I am too tired right now.