The California Department of Transportation advised drivers to steer clear of the roadway, and the road was blocked in both directions as a huge part of the highway collapsed into the Pacific Ocean. About 1,600 people were left trapped in Big Sur, a coastal hamlet. Due to mudslides and rockfalls that occurred after storms, the path has previously been closed multiple times.
Drivers Exit In A Single Lane
Following heavy weekend rains, a massive portion of California’s famous Highway 1 collapsed into the ocean, stranding up to 1,600 people in the coastal village of Big Sur. Motorists were forced to drive down one lane of the highway on Monday.
According to Kevin Drabinski, a spokesman for Caltrans, the California Department of Transportation, although most of the people who were stuck in Big Sur were permitted to leave when a single lane was reopened on Sunday after being closed overnight, convoys of cars resumed for one lane of the highway at eight in the morning on Monday. He said that as the convoys passed through the single lane, they had physical observers to check the condition of the road, confirming it was travel-friendly.
Traffic was backed up for miles in both directions due to the collapse on Saturday near Rocky Creek Bridge, located around 17 miles (27 kilometers) south of Monterey. The manager of the Nepenthe restaurant in Big Sur, Kirk Gafill, stated that roughly twelve of his staff members who were working that day were stuck in town and had to find friends or relatives to stay overnight. He added that the situation was the same for all the businesses in town. The conference room of Big Sur Lodge provided shelter for some of the trapped motorists, whereas the others had to spend a night in their vehicles.
Linda Molinari of Hollister, California, shared her experience when she and her boyfriend had to spend a night in his van after going for lunch in Big Sur on Saturday. She shared that it was so hard for them when the firefighters asked them to spend a night in the vehicle. After reaching home on Easter evening, she said that even though it was good to reach home, she found it bittersweet. She shared how she felt after missing a holiday after going to lunch on a random day.
At 4 p.m. on Monday, another convoy of cars was guided through, although drivers were advised to stay away from the area. The next convoy started on Tuesday at 8 a.m. According to a statement on X, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Sunday that his office was working with other state departments to rectify the slip-out. The California Department of Parks and Recreation announced that all state parks in the Big Sur region are closed “until further notice because of the roadway collapse.”
According to Caltrans, workers will erect concrete barriers to safeguard construction workers and create a safe path for cars. Although it’s unclear when the road will be ready to reopen, engineers will concentrate on stabilizing the road’s edge. The well-known path has frequently been closed due to rockfalls, mudflows, and collapses during extreme weather.
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Previous Highway 1 Damages
There have previously been winter and spring storms that damaged Highway 1. A section of the road near Big Sur washed away three years ago, as reported at the time. Locals were left trapped when a landslide occurred on the road in 2017 during an exceptionally wet winter, and it took 14 months to fix. According to officials, a 12.1-mile stretch of the highway has been closed due to rockslides since January 2023. The scenic highway is expected to be fully reopened by spring 2024, though this most recent road closure may make earlier schedules less accurate.