Twice-daily convoys begin Monday near Big Sur
BIG SUR -- Caltrans will be allowing one-hour, twice-daily convoys on Highway 1 past the Rocky Creek road washout starting Monday, the agency said.
The convoys have been organized around a landslide that crippled Highway 1 in the Big Sur area at the end of March.
Starting on Monday, convoys will run from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. each day. During the morning convoy, the public will have access to both directions. In the afternoon, the public will be able to use the northbound convoy to leave the area but only residents, essential workers and drivers with existing travel reservations will be allowed to join the southbound convoy, according to Caltrans. There is no exit to the south.
"Since convoys need time to alternate the travel direction during the one-hour window, travelers are advised to arrive as early as possible to take advantage," said a spokesperson for Caltrans on Sunday.
Highway 1 will remain closed for the remainder of each day so that crews can continue to repair the roadway. Caltrans said it will assess convoy demand during the week and adjust the duration or schedule if necessary.
Since a portion of the highway collapsed, crews have focused their efforts on stabilizing the edge of the roadway in the southbound lane, Caltrans said. Workers use a crane to carry a crew basket with drilling equipment over the edge of the roadway to drill stabilizing horizontal rock dowels into the surface below the pavement. Once that is stabilized, a temporary signal will be installed to direct one-way traffic control.
Initial repairs should be finished by May 27.