Tag: Fernwood Slide

Rain & Road Conditions, 1/11/17

Good morning Again, everyone!
1/11/17
9:00 AM

LOCALS now have access to and from Ragged Pt. to Pitkins (PM 21.3). There is still the residual slide at Mud Creek (PM 8.8) but LOCALS will be allowed around it. Paul’s Slide (PM 21.6) is still active and closed. Slide clearing is still being done at Fernwood (PM 47.03)

The below info. remain the same:

To accommodate LOCALS, this morning, January 11, starting at 8 AM and EVERY TWO HOURS thereafter Caltrans is going to accommodate LOCAL TRAFFIC ONLY through the Fernwood Closure area for up to 15 minutes if conditions allow.

The plan is to have school buses do their usual routes–without having the parents meet the kids on the north side of the closure this afternoon–If anything changes, we’ll let you know.

As for the update TO THE PUBLIC, HWY. 1 STILL REMAINS CLOSED from Ragged Pt. (SLO PM 72.87) to Fernwood (MON PM 47.03). The hotline recording will remain the same. Another update will be provided this afternoon around 4 pm.

Susana Z. Cruz
Caltrans District 5
Public Information Officer/
********************************************

8:00 am from Cal Trans:

Good morning everyone,

Although the slides are still at multiple locations, things are starting to look brighter.

To accommodate LOCALS, this morning, January 11, starting now (at 8 AM) and EVERY TWO HOURS thereafter Caltrans is going to accommodate LOCAL TRAFFIC ONLY through the Fernwood Closure area for up to 15 minutes if conditions allow.

The plan is to have school buses do their usual routes–without having the parents meet the kids on the north side of the closure this afternoon–If anything changes, we’ll let you know.

As for the update TO THE PUBLIC, HWY. 1 STILL REMAINS CLOSED from Ragged Pt. (SLO PM 72.87) to Fernwood (MON PM 47.03). The hotline recording will remain the same. Another update will be provided this afternoon around 4 pm.

Susana Z. Cruz
Caltrans District 5
Public Information Officer

8:00 am – there are 25 incidents reported on CHP website, including a blockage of CVR at Tassajara of the WB lane. Santa Cruz is a mess, and other areas not fairing any better. Be safe out there.

My internet appears to be working today, but just in case it goes on strike again,  please feel free to post your observations, knowledge, and information in the comments section below. Cal Trans said it would TRY to open one lane for locals for 15 minutes every 2 hours starting at 8 am, LOCALS AND EMERGENCY TRAFFIC ONLY! Of course, this would be dependent on weather and slide behavior.

Big Sur River peaked last night higher than Sunday at above 12 feet, I am told.

bigsurkate

Fernwood Slide

Here is a great photo by Michael Troutman of the mess we all seem to have dubbed the Fernwood Slide.

img_1799

This is not likely the end of it, though depending on the upcoming rains. IF, as I have heard, there is a chance of 10 inches in 3 days coming up, then this slide will continue and possibly get worse. Rock Knocker and I have been watching this spot since the fire, as have many of you.

Michael Troutman had this to say:

“I sought out and found a geologist/soil engineer working for Caltrans, as I was greatly interested in why the actual slide was not precisely where the debris flow was yesterday.

It turns out that there is no main water course directly above on the surface, but this is actually from water percolating out through the rock from a very large area of the huge slope above; there is so much water the rock can no longer contain it. What happened is that where I photographed it yesterday was not ultimately the path of least resistance. When the water saturation reached some sort of critical mass it found a different way through the base of the hill just a few hundred feet north of the area I was in yesterday…and so finally *BAM* the whole damn hillside just came down.”

Personally, I don’t think this is over. There is too much winter left, too much water already percolating, too much burn area affected – no matter what happens the rest of January, we are in for a rough ride, but if we are lucky, and hold our heads  just right, add the necessary tin foil, this year will NOT repeat the winter of 1978.