Regent's Slide excavation work temporarily halted in Monterey County

Big Sur cut off from Northern California after Highway 1 slide

Big Sur cut off from Northern California after Highway 1 slide.

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. - Caltrans says it is temporarily halting excavation work on Regent's Slide - Highway 1 in Monterey County due to slide activity.

On Friday, Caltrans said engineers are assessing the area and will determine a new timeline for reopening. Despite the ongoing repair work, the Big Sur coast remains open and accessible, officials said.

The slide activity continues in and around the repair site that has been closed since Feb. 9, officials said. That's when a slide 450 feet above the roadway came crumbling down.

Caltrans said during excavation work with bulldozers earlier this month, crews noticed surface cracking at several points, indicating slide activity was still happening. In a news release, Caltrans said they were halting work for the safety of its crews.

"Although through travel on Highway 1 from Carmel to Cambria is not possible at this time, travel to the communities of Cambria, San Simeon, and all the amenities of the south coast continue to be within reach from Southern California, as do businesses and attractions on the coast south of the Monterey/Carmel area coming from Northern California," Caltrans officials said.

In the meantime, Caltrans has installed sensors to measure the magnitude, rate and flow of the slide to help make a decision on whether additional stabilization work is necessary. The excavation work will continue once it's safe, officials said.

In April, a separate slide in the area on Highway 1 cut off Big Sur from Northern California. As many as 1,600 vehicles became stranded. There were evacuation warnings for Big Sur residents.

Regent’s Slide is located 45 miles south of Carmel.