© Caltrans District 5A landslide destroyed part of Highway 1 south of Rocky Creek Bridge on the Big Sur coast.
Engineers with the California Department of Transportation were assessing the slip-out that forced the closure of Highway 1 south of the Rocky Creek Bridge at Palo Colorado on Saturday, the state agency said Sunday. An estimated 1,600 residents and visitors were stranded after parts of the southbound lane collapsed. The rain was coming down at a rate of 2 inches per hour at one point, according to the National Weather Service.
An estimated time for reopening was not released.
According to Caltrans spokesperson Kevin Drabinski, the slide did not continue to erode after the initial slip-out, and the northbound roadway remained clear. As a result, convoys through the closed area of Highway 1 were offered twice daily starting Sunday.
When the convoy first opened, around noon, an estimated 300 cars were waiting to travel northbound. It took 50 minutes to clear out all the waiting vehicles. This presumably included Easter weekend visitors to Big Sur who were stranded by the closure and had to spend the night in temporary lodging and emergency shelters. The convoys were alternating direction and were to continue at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. in both directions, starting Monday.
© CaltransA portion of Highway 1 in Monterey County collapsed during Saturday’s storm.
On Sunday, state park rangers were rounding up guests of the Big Sur Lodge and escorting them to join the convoys. Sixty units were occupied Saturday night, and just one unit was occupied Sunday, by a guest who planned to leave in the first convoy Monday.
"We've had almost all of our guests clear out of the property," said front desk supervisor David Eaks. "We were fully booked yesterday, and we are empty as of today."
At Ripplewood Resort and grocery store, all 17 cabins were occupied Saturday night and only four Sunday night. Those guests were waiting to get out when the convoy resumes.
"It's pretty quiet. There is no traffic," said a desk clerk who gave her name as Leo. "All the locals are still here. They're stopping by and getting essentials, but that's pretty much it."
Drabinski said that in the coming days Caltrans will be working on ways to temporarily stabilize the edge of the roadway and work out a future structural solution to the crumbling road. He said the convoys would continue unless more inclement weather occurred or the site conditions changed.
© Kodiak Greenwood/Special to the ChronicleCalifornia Highway Patrol officer John Yerace directs traffic and informs travelers and residents about the road closure on Highway 1, site of a slide.
Other parts of the highway are also closed due to slides at Dolan Point (Post Mile 29.5) and the Regent's Slide (Post Mile 27.8), officials said. Northbound lanes are also closed just south of Limekiln State Park (Post Mile 20).
All state parks in the Big Sur area are closed to day use and camping because of the slides, including Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, Andrew Molera State Park, Limekiln State Park, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and Point Sur State Historic Park. All camping reservations will be canceled, and refunds will be processed, California State Parks announced.
It is not known yet when repairs will begin or how long they will last. The last time Highway 1 washed out, the closure lasted a year and cost half a billion dollars, a Monterey County tourist official said.
Comment: See also: Severe flooding in Southern California leaves drivers stranded after 2 inches of rain in 1 hour