Caltrans To Preemptively Close Highway 1 At Big Sur When Major Storms Are Forecast
BIG SUR, Monterey County (AP) -- Officials plan to temporarily close an iconic stretch of California's landslide-plagued Highway 1 on the Big Sur coast this winter when forecasts of significant rain emerge.
The Monterey Herald reports the California Department of Transportation will provide two days of notice before closures for the Mud Creek or Paul's Slide areas.
Closures could occur at one or both locations, with crews locking gates across the highway.
The agency in a statement said that the heavy rainfall during the winter of 2017 caused significant landslides at many spots along Highway 1 and asked for patience during any closures.
In one major landslide, 6 million cubic yards (4.6 million cubic meters) of dirt and rocks covered a quarter-mile (0.4-kilometer) of the two-lane highway.
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