Caltrans Plans Emergency Repairs On Hwy. 1 Along San Mateo Coast
SAN MATEO COUNTY (KPIX 5) -- Caltrans is planning emergency road repairs for a busy section of Highway 1 along the San Mateo County coast.
On the surface, they look like rather ordinary regular cracks but they are not. From a nearby vantage point, you can see the side of the cliff is slowly giving way, right up to the highway.
"I think people were worried that it was about ready to drop off into the Ocean but it was not. It looked, it looked a little rough for a while there but the slope is stabilized," said Caltrans spokesperson Jeff Weiss.
Stabilized or not, Caltrans is planning a $4 million repair job that will take two months to complete. The plan is to drill several 3.5-foot diameter holes, 60 feet down to rock. Caltrans says this will support a wall that will protect the high way.
Moss Beach resident Noah Appleton says Highway 1 must be kept open. "This is our life source! This is how we get everywhere. This is how we meet everybody. It's just how we maintain our towns, you know. This is a good road to have, so please fix Highway 1."
"A few years back, many years back, the whole highway slid down into the ocean, so we're all concerned about it. Don't want that happening again because there was only one way in and one way out," said Yvette Nunes, who lives in Moss Beach.
Caltrans's Weiss wants to reassure people. "We've been watching it. It's not something that has escaped our attention," he said.
Caltrans says the work on Highway 1 could begin as early as next week.