Downed bridge splits Big Sur, closes part of Highway 1
BIG SUR (AP) – A downed bridge along the California coast has split the Big Sur area in two, stranding residents without access to grocery stores and public services and closing part of scenic Highway 1 for as long as a year.
About 450 residents on one side of the span were cut off when the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge crumbled beyond repair. Backpackers and helicopters are transporting food to the residential area.
The community known for its luxury spa treatments, posh hotels and scenic retreats is also without law enforcement, public services and tourists, The Mercury News in San Jose said. “We’re severed in half. with two of the most amazing cul-de-sacs in the world,” Big Sur native Kirk Gafill told the newspaper.
A steep and narrow half-mile footpath is open to residents only for 15 minutes at a time, three times a day, to cross the divide.
The fire station, post office and Big Sur’s famous restaurants sit on the south side of the bridge while schools, medical care, grocery stores, hardware stores, livestock supplies and almost all the community’s homes are to the north.
Residents are worrying about what comes next for the tourism-dependent community.
Caltrans has said the bridge is beyond repair and will need to be removed and replaced, but has yet to give a timeline or details. Officials hope to make a portion of the roadway passable later this month for locals only.
The bridge was severely damaged by torrential rainstorms this winter, and landslides to the south of it have made the road impassable.
“How long will the new bridge take? Is there room for a bypass, for temporary transit, until it’s done?” Gafill asked.