Big Sur Highway 1 temporary fix planned after road washed out
MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. - Following storms this weekend, a section of Highway 1 near Big Sur has crumbled. It initially left nearly 2,000 people stranded. Now they're being escorted through the area, in between Rocky Creek Bridge and Bixby Bridge, twice a day.
Enrique Uribe had no idea he'd be stuck. But after a job in Big Sur Monday morning, he is.
"I didn't until I got up to the sign, till I got a notification saying it was closed. And it was like, oh man," says Uribe.
Closed, because this section of Highway 1, just a half mile from the famous Bixby Bridge, has fallen away.
It happened after a round of wet weather and high waves on Saturday.
"At the present time, we're really discouraging any visitors from coming down here until it's deemed safe," says Nick Pasculli, communications director for Monterey County.
State Parks in the area are now closed. Campers' money will be refunded. But it's a big blow to Big Sur, which has yet to recover from last year's landslides and road closures.
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Big Sur washout: Traffic sluggish on Highway 1
Emergency crews on Monday were allowing people stuck in Big Sur to leave even as part of Highway 1 washed out over the weekend.
"For the business people it's horrible," says Martin Hubbs, a resident.
Right now, only residents and essential workers are allowed through and only twice a day, at 8 and 4. Martin Hubbs, who lives nearby, ventured to the grocery store in case things get even worse.
"You never know. It's raining on Thursday, so they might just say it's too dangerous and boom. So I grabbed my tea, my milk and I'm set up," says Hubbs.
Caltrans crews do have a plan for a temporary fix in place. It involves expanding the shoulder and placing 500 feet of concrete barriers along the centerline of the roadway.
No word how long a more permanent fix might take or how long this inconvenience to drivers might last.
"I'd rather be at work or at home than here," says another driver, Rolando Uribe.
Caltrans says the twice-a-day convoys will go on indefinitely unless there is inclement weather or site conditions change.