The closure of Highway 1 on the Big Sur Coast has been extended further north as crews work to repair the road following two rockslides last week.
The Dolan Point Slide happened on Thursday, and a larger slide known as the Reagent Slide took place on Friday. These slides occurred north of an existing storm repair closure called Paul’s Slide.
The closure now extends from south of Limekiln State Park to about 2.7 miles south of Esalon.
Kevin Drabinski, with Caltrans District 5, said the extension is necessary for crews to clear rocks, mud, and other dangerous materials from the roadways.
“Our crews have to work to access the slope from the top and knock the material down,” Drabinski said.
The roadways affected by the recent rockslides could reopen in as little as a month.
“We're able to accomplish our best work in dry conditions, but it looks like we'll have unsettled weather for the next seven to 10 days,” Drabinski said. “So that might delay the initial getting in there and getting started on the repairs.”
The National Weather Service predicts rain starting Saturday and continuing into next week. According to Drabinski, this could create conditions that are too dangerous for crews to work in.
“You have a very steep slope up the mountain, you have a fairly narrow stretch of roadway and then a drop off to the ocean,” Drabinski said.
Caltrans officials stated that Paul’s Slide will take longer to fix and is expected to reopen in late spring.
