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| Hwy 1 "slip out" in Monterey County |
Last week Highway 1 was closed again, this time in Monterey County.
The slip-out occurred Saturday, causing the highway to be closed and stranding an estimated 1,600 residents and visitors. Since Sunday, Caltrans has been opening Highway 1 twice a day to convoys, but those convoys have been canceled Thursday and Friday because of the rain forecast. They are expected to resume Saturday.The good news is that single-lane traffic in the affected area is safe, provided that rain doesn't weaken the structure further. However, hoping that there will be no more damage is a gamble:
Officials issued an evacuation warning on Wednesday for the region south of the existing slip-out near the Rocky Creek Bridge ahead of the coming storms. Anyone within the evacuation zone was urged to leave before anticipated road closures.The Big Sur Highway has been called one of the top scenic drives in the world and attracts millions of visitors every year. However, mudslides cost millions of dollars to repair, and it's only a matter of time before the tectonic plates shift and cause worse damage than slides. When it's man against nature, nature usually wins. In a hundred years, if it does remain open, count on it to look very different.
“If you feel unsafe, medically fragile, or are unprepared to be isolated for several days, leave immediately ... storms may cause additional damage along Highway 1,” Monterey County officials wrote in an alert.
The convoys are expected to halt Thursday and Friday but will resume once the storms clear, likely on Saturday, Monterey County spokesperson Nicholas Pasculli said.
With more storms on the way, meteorologists were concerned that additional rain could trigger landslides on other parts of the famed highway.
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