Crews continue to contour Highway 1 in Big Sur as part of $11.5M repair

BIG SUR, Calif. - Crews this week continued to work on Rat Creek Road, clearing debris and repairing Highway 1 near Big Sur. 

A mudflow undermind the highway this winter, leaving a chasm in the scenic highway, filling it with boulders and logs.

On Monday, Caltrans crews removed the debris and contoured the sides of the mountain.

Crews will then rebuild the roadbed and pave over it to prevent the road from falling away again. In the future, a culvert will be installed to help with drainage.

Many thought a bridge would be needed to span the chasm but Caltrans engineers say that's not the case.

"We are very confident that the fix we put in here with the fill and the redundant culvert systems will be one that can withstand any debris flow and will be here for generations to come," said Kevin Drabinski. 

The latest road failure near Big Sur was a product of 17 inches of rain coming down in the span of a few days and hitting the tender Dolan fire burn scar.

It's the third such failure that cut off north and south-bound traffic in almost as many years.

The cost to repair the road is $11.5 million and Caltrans hopes to have it back open this summer. 

Caitlin Conrad is a reporter for KSBW.

Big Sur, CA, Wednesday, February 10, 2021 - Crews continue to dig out debris from a washed out section of Highway 1 at Rat Creek. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Big Sur, CA, Wednesday, February 10, 2021 - Crews continue to dig out debris from a washed out section of Highway 1 at Rat Creek. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Big Sur, CA, Thursday, February 11, 2021 - Crews continue to dig out debris from a washed out section of Highway 1 at Rat Creek. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Big Sur, CA, Wednesday, February 10, 2021 - Crews continue to dig out debris from a washed out section of Highway 1 at Rat Creek. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)