5:30 am – Highway One still closed to through traffic. Numerous other roads closed in Monterey County, San Benito County, Santa Cruz County, and Santa Clara County. Fortunately, we will get a few days to dry off before the next rounds begin next week, after this morning’s rain subsides.
Tag: road conditions
Rain Reports, 11/26/16
6:57 pm – a major downpour at the rate of almost 4″ and hour. That lasted for a few minutes, and now just consistent rain, heavy at times.
9:30 am – here is the weather spotter number for NWS-Monterey Bay: 800-826-7827. Call this number if you spot ANY debris flow anywhere near the Soberanes Fire area. Note the location (GPS coordinates a plus) and date and time. If you have a photo of it send to:
nws.bayarea@noaa.gov
The more info we send them early in the winter, the more they can fine-tune their predictions later in the season.
7 am – It started about 6 am, and within an hour, I had about 1/2″ of rain. I don’t see any reports of road problems, yet, but there are bound to be rocks on the road, so drive carefully. I will check back throughout the day, but please share any information you have. In my trip north on Turkey Day, I saw several spots in Big Sur Valley which could be very problematic this winter. Stock up, keep gassed up, and take care of each other.
Welcome new Cal Trans Supervisors!
From Cal Trans: “I am pleased to announce the appointment of Scott Pryor as the new Maintenance Supervisor for the Willow Springs Maintenance crew effective October 1, 2016. Scott is currently the Leadworker in King City. Scott is a local King City resident. He and his family are looking forward to his new adventures on the Big Sur coast.”
“Also, we are pleased to announce the appointment of Heath Johnston as the new Maintenance Supervisor for Big Sur effective October 1, 2016. Heath is currently the Leadworker for Big Sur Maintenance and is enjoying his new life on the coast with his gal Meg and Dog Blaze.”
Welcome to the coast, Scott, and welcome to your new position, Heath. Look forward to working with both of you this winter to keep travelers aware of any issues with our Highway.
Fascinating Reading on Big Sur Land Use by the Los Padres Nation Forest, 1977
It is quite the lengthy document, which can be found here: Los Padres Big Sur Land Use If this link does not work for you, google it. Google books has digitalized it, and for those with iPhones or iPads, we can save to our “iBooks.” For those of you who use the devil’s spawn (just kidding, sorta) I have no clue. But to give you a taste on the topics we have been discussing, here are a couple of paragraphs: (remember this was prepared FORTY YEARS AGO!):
Amgen Race & Highway One
Amgen Tour
AMGEN BICYCLE TOUR IN SANTA BARBARA/MONTEREY COUNTIES
CENTRAL COAST – Stages Three and Four of The Amgen Bicycle Tour will move through Santa Barbara and Monterey Counties this month in the following locations:
On Tuesday, May 17, the cyclists will travel west on State Route 150 and State Route 192 in Santa Barbara County completing their ride on Gibraltar Road. The cyclists will begin at 11 am.
On Wednesday, May 18, the cyclists will travel north on State Route 1 from Morro Bay in San Luis Obispo County to the Carmel area in Monterey County. The cyclists will begin at 10 am.
The CHP will oversee these rolling highway closures for this event. Caltrans will post electronic message signs and assist with traffic control so motorists are aware of the cyclists and support vehicles. The public may learn more about this event at: http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/
Highway One Road Work Tentative Schedule thru June
SLIDE REPAIR PROJECT ALONG HIGHWAY 1 BETWEEN MOLERA ROAD NEAR MARINA AND THE MONTEREY/SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY LINE—BEGINS MONDAY, MAY 2
MONTEREY COUNTY – A lengthy, slide repair project along the Highway 1 coast between Molera Rd. near Marina and the Monterey/San Luis Obispo County line will begin Monday, May 2, Caltrans officials announced today.
Roadwork will take place Monday through Friday and consist of one-way traffic control between the hours of 7 am and 4 pm. Motorists can expect delays not to exceed 15 minutes. Electronic message signs will be posted alerting motorists of the work. Below is a tentative schedule for the next few weeks but dates and locations are subject to change, depending on the time required to complete each section.
May 2 – PM 51.2 (Molera) to 49.03 (River Inn)
May 3 – PM 49.03 (River Inn) to 48.03 (Big Sur Library)
May 4 – PM 48.03 (Library) to 48.85 (Brewer Bridge)
May 5 – PM 48.85 to 47.3 (Fernwood)
May 6 – PM 47.3 to 46.35 (Big Sur Station)
May 9 – 46.35 to 45.52 (Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge)
May 10 – 45.52 to 44.9 (Post Ranch)
May 11 – 44.9 to 43.91 (Nepenthe)
May 12 – 43.91 to 43.17 (Big Sur Inn)
May 13 – 43.17 to 42.15 (Fullers)
May 16 – 42.15 to 39.72 (Torre Canyon Bridge)
May 17 – 42.15 to 39.72 (Torre Canyon Bridge)
May 18 – 39.72 to 38.69 (Partington Ridge Road)*
May 19 – Move to Willow Springs Area PM 10.00 (Gorda) to PM 8.88 (Mud Creek)
May 20 – 8.88 to 6.8 (Grey’s Slip)
*NOTE: Crews are aware and will work around the AMGEN tour.
The purpose of this roadwork is to improve traveler safety by making highway repairs. Roadwork is being done by the Big Sur and Willow Springs Maintenance crews. This project is scheduled to be complete in June. An update will be provided next month with the final weeks’ schedule.
Caltrans reminds motorists to move over and slow down when driving through highway work zones.
For more information on this project and for traffic updates on other Caltrans projects in Monterey County, residents can call the District 5 toll free number at 1-831-372-0862 or can visit our website at: http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist05/paffairs/release.htm#mon.
Susana Z. Cruz
Caltrans District 5
Public Information Officer/
Portavoz de Relaciones Públicas
para Caltrans en el Distrito 5
805. 549.3138
805.549.3326–fax
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CV RD Traffic Nightmare
Many people reported travel times of over an hour this morning. This is the update from Dave Potter’s Office:
“Carmel Valley Road construction traffic update:
We apologize for the extreme wait times today, we have heard reports of 30-60 minutes. We are advising taking alternate routes if possible.
The section of Carmel Valley Road that is being worked on has an average daily traffic (ADT) count of 18,000 vehicles, just the sheer number of cars on the road is impacting wait times. The section of road currently being worked on is too narrow for two-way traffic, currently one-way traffic control with pilot cars is being utilized.
The contractor did have challenges this morning getting traffic control and paving equipment in place which exacerbated the traffic backup.
Traffic control should become more efficient as the project continues. Grinding and paving should be completed by Friday, followed by a couple of weeks to allow the pavement to cure and then striping will take place in April.
Again, we apologize for the extreme daily and thank you for your patience.”
In other news, South Coast Ridge RD. Near apple camp is blocked due to a large tree down. Hopefully the USFS will clear it today.
Active Slide at Mud Creek
I heard about this earlier today from one of our locals, but here is the official word. (Mud Creek is by Sea View Ranch.)
There is an active slide at PM 8.88 south of Gorda. The entire NB lane was blocked off with an earth berm to prevent material from blocking the entire roadway. We have coned the area off and the Highway will remain open for the time being. The SB lane and a portion of the shoulder are clear. The Willow Springs crew will be out first thing in the morning to access and clean up.
Thanks.
Greg DeAlba Jr.
Supervisor
Willow Springs and Big Sur Maintenance
Road Conditions, 3/14/16
At 11:30 am I received this email:
“Just back from walking dogs @ Rocky Creek. Incident jno mm60 (which is just north of the new Rocky Creek viaduct) is entirely cleared. It looks to have been some stray branches from the Westmere cypress trees.” (Martha Diehl)
6:00 am – just got word from a local (sent t 12:30 am, but just received) that Nacimiento is closed due to slides.
As of 5:30 am the CHP website lists 3 areas of concern. (Try as I might, I can’t seem to copy and paste). From South to North they are: MM 26, 34, and 60. MM 26 is Gamboa Point, but the CHP lists it as just north of Limekiln State Park, which is actually closer to MM 20. This one is listed as rocks and boulders and barely enough room for a small car to get through. CHP says there is signage, but not enough. MM 34 is near Esalen’s South Coast Center, and 60 is just South of Palo Colorado Canyon. One of them is a tree that is crossing both lanes, but unclear which. Dawn is still a couple hours away, at which time dawn patrol will be out clearing the way. Until then, be careful, aware, and drive slowly.