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A section of California’s scenic Highway 1 near Big Sur that collapsed during a winter storm has reopened, just in time for Memorial Day travel.
The highway has been closed since Jan. 28, when heavy rain unleashed torrents of mud and debris left over from a wildfire, washing a 150-foot chunk of roadway into the sea. The slide occurred about two miles south of Big Sur’s Esalen Institute, blocking northbound coastal travelers from such Central Coast sites as Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Nepenthe restaurant and Big Sur Campground & Cabins.
McWay Falls drops over an 80-foot cliff at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park in Big Sur.
Scenic Highway 1 near Big Sur to reopen this summer
Feb. 26, 2021 5 AM PT
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Caltrans is estimating it can reopen Highway 1 and reconnect Southern California with Big Sur and points beyond by early summer.
The highway
closed Jan. 28 after a 150-foot section at Rat Creek was washed out by heavy rains that caused debris flow at the creek in Monterey County.
A 150-foot section on Highway 1 collapsed.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
In a news release Thursday, Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin said, “We’re focused on restoring travel on this section by early summer.” The repair cost is estimated at $11.5 million, involving “the manipulation of tens of thousands of cubic yards of material.”