California officials temporarily closed a portion of Highway 1 on Wednesday, forcing residents to visit one of the nation's most scenic stretches of coastline as an onslaught of spring rains threatens to worsen road collapse near Big Sur. warned to evacuate.
Emergency orders issued by the Monterey County Sheriff's Office and police California Department of TransportationThe incident comes as state and local officials scramble to recover from a landslide last weekend that destroyed a large section of Highway 1 after a day of heavy rain.
The so-called slipout that left more than 1,000 motorists stranded overnight along a popular state highway was the product of winter storms that have battered California for months. The collapse rolled a huge chunk of pavement into the Pacific Ocean north of Big Sur, narrowing about two miles of road to one lane.
In recent days, state transportation officials have urged motorists to avoid the area and carefully directed local and emergency traffic around missing sections of the highway. Jim Shivers, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, known as Caltrans, said the twice-daily fleet averaged about 150 vehicles in each direction per day.
But with rain expected to return Thursday and Friday, Caltrans has canceled convoys through Friday.
“They're only expecting about a half-inch, but we don't want to take any chances,” Shivers said. “This is the end of the wet rainy season, so further increase in moisture could lead to more landslides and mudslides.”
The move prompted local officials to urge the roughly 2,000 people who live in the Big Sur area year-round to leave before the rains arrive, especially if they need medical care.
Big Sur, loosely defined, is a 110-mile area of the Central Coast roughly halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, famous for both its spectacular beauty and its fragility. Located on the edge of the continent, this region is increasingly plagued by climate change disasters, from wildfires to landslides, and its main artery is Highway 1, which borders precariously on the coast.
When highways are closed, residents often live in relative isolation for long periods of time. The highway was closed for several months after a massive landslide in 2017, and some sections are still being repaired after last year's onslaught of atmospheric rivers.
On Wednesday, residents and businesses braced to be stranded again.
“We're big-hearted people,” said Colin Twohig, general manager of the Big Sur River Inn. The hotel is located on the south side of the road, which is currently closed to traffic, and is “in the middle” of the area where evacuation orders have been issued. “People have had a chance to pick up supplies and stock up this past week, and almost everyone I spoke to was ready to hunker down for some quiet time.”
That said, he noted that last week had caused significant economic disruption. He and Ben Perlmutter, the managing partner of the 22-room inn, have spent the past few days hastily revising the website to promote in-store sales, keeping spirits up and preparing for Easter. He said he even hosted community dinners to avoid wasting the fresh food he had stocked up on. weekend.
They canceled their reservations on Wednesday and were hoping the outlook would improve by the weekend.
“We are one of the few family-owned businesses left in Big Sur,” said Perlmutter, whose father, 91, who is the general partner, left camp for a hotel in Monterey on Sunday for health reasons. added. “I'm not saying this to be sympathetic, but it's unlikely that this will be a family business in six months if we don't find a way.”
