Officials are avoiding California Highway 1 along the Central Coast after Easter weekend storms caused part of the scenic highway to collapse, forcing traffic closures near Big Sur and stranding motorists. The government announced that it is calling on motorists to do so.
The collapse occurred Saturday afternoon during heavy rain near the Rocky Creek Bridge, about 27 miles south of Monterey, when chunks of asphalt tumbled from the southbound side of the two-lane road into the ocean.
A highway was closed in both directions in the mountains of California’s central coast while engineers assessed the damage, the state Department of Transportation (Caltrans) said.
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“We are working on a plan to evacuate motorists from the area,” the California Highway Patrol said Saturday.
Around noon Sunday, crews determined it was safe to travel in the northbound lanes, and authorities began regularly escorting motorists around the affected sections. About 300 cars were waiting to head north as authorities led the first convoy through the area, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The paper said some stranded drivers slept in their cars overnight, while others took shelter at nearby Big Sur Lodge.
Damage to a portion of Highway 1 is visible south of the Rocky Creek Bridge on March 31, 2024 in Big Sur, California. (via Caltrans District 5 AP)
California Department of Transportation spokesman Kevin Drabinski said regular convoys would continue in the coming days as crews shore up other highways that are closed due to rocks and debris in lanes. He said he would continue. He urged people to avoid the area.
This famous route is frequently closed due to landslides, debris flows, and rock falls during inclement weather.
The slow-moving storm brought heavy rain to lower elevations and more than a foot of snow to ski resorts in the Sierra Nevada around Lake Tahoe.
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National Weather Service meteorologist Ryan Kittel said the system is typical for March, but it’s not an atmospheric river like many other storms that have hit the state in recent winters.
Kittel said the storm left the San Francisco Bay Area on Friday and was “just moving down the California coast,” bringing most of the rainfall to the Los Angeles area.
The storm then rested over Southern California and was expected to remain there until Sunday night or Monday. Showers and thunderstorms with the potential for lightning and wind damage remain possible in parts of Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles counties.
