On Saturday, a section of scenic Highway 1 in California's Big Sur region collapsed, leaving about 2,000 motorists, mostly tourists, stranded overnight.
California Department of Transportation officials announced Sunday that sections of southbound freeways on the Central Coast will remain closed while crews work in the affected areas. Most of the road fell into the sea. Also known as the Pacific Coast Highway, this highway spans rocky cliffs, lush mountains, panoramic beaches, and coastal redwood forests.
There were no reports of injuries. The authority, Caltrans, did not give an estimate of when the highway could fully reopen.
Authorities have not said what caused the collapse, but heavy rains pounded the area near the Rocky Creek Bridge, about 27 miles south of Monterey.
Caltrans spokesman Kevin Drabinski said officials determined the damage was severe enough to close the highway Saturday afternoon.
“Caltrans realized that a portion of the southbound lanes would be lost, which would require a complete closure of Highway 1,” Drabinski said.
Drabinski said some traffic had started moving by Sunday afternoon, and Monterey County Emergency Management officials sent a convoy with a police escort to evacuate people from the affected area. County Spokesperson Nicholas Pasculi said.
Many of those stranded were tourists who were driving through one of the world's most scenic regions during the Easter holidays, Pasculli said, with temporary shelters at 75% capacity. He said he had to sleep. Some people reportedly stayed at local hotels, guesthouses and campgrounds, while others slept in their cars.
He said another convoy is scheduled for Monday morning in case the entire crew can't arrive by Sunday night.
“We're hopeful that we'll be able to get all the visitors out today. That's our hope. That's our goal,” Pasculli said. “Suffice it to say it's a holiday weekend. People like to visit this area because it's a beautiful area.”
Monterey County had issued a disaster declaration and officials were asking people to avoid highways. “We are asking everyone to stay away from the area to allow safe passage for emergency personnel, emergency vehicles and essential workers,” Pasculli said.
Unseasonably cold weather and severe storms pounded the southwestern Pacific coast this weekend, bringing rain, flash flooding and snow to parts of California and elsewhere. Flood warnings were issued for the San Diego area Sunday as the storm continued along the coast before heading inland, forecasters said.
The National Weather Service Los Angeles office announced Sunday that the rain is expected to continue into Sunday, with the possibility of thunderstorms. Forecasters warned people to prepare for hail, strong winds and even tornadoes.
Last year, unrelenting winter storms in California caused landslides that closed a 20-mile stretch of Big Sur for weeks.
In January 2021, a rainstorm caused similar damage to parts of the expressway, with some sections closed due to the risk of landslides and mudslides caused by heavy rain.
Years of landslides have destroyed more than 650 miles of California's Highway 1, from south of Los Angeles to north of San Francisco, through Big Sur and across the Golden Gate Bridge. Most notably, in May 2017, approximately 6 million cubic yards of soil was moved after heavy rains, adding 15 acres of shoreline. The highway underwent repairs and reopened a year later.
Before that, the largest landslide to damage a highway occurred in 1983 in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park in the far north.
