New rockslides extend closed stretch of Highway 1

A storm-battered stretch of Highway 1 on California’s Central Coast that has been closed for more than a year for major repairs has been extended by several miles because of new rockslides, state transportation officials said.

Caltrans said Thursday that the northern closure on Highway 1 has moved north from Paul’s Slide at Post Mile 22 to Post Mile 29.7 due to “active slide activity.” There was no estimated time for reopening, the agency said.

“Caltrans and contracted crews are on site to clear debris and stabilize the hillside above the roadway,” the transportation agency said in a news release.

Recent rains likely played a role in the new slides, according to Caltrans spokesman Kevin Drabinski.

“When the ground becomes saturated, it gets heavier and more lubricated, which can contribute to slide activity,” he told the Chronicle on Thursday.

However, he said crews had not yet confirmed the cause of the slides, which occurred in steep terrain. “The Big Sur coast is also considered geologically active in general and slide activity is a fairly common occurrence,” he said.

Storms in early 2023 led to the closure of a 46-mile stretch of the scenic highway between Ragged Point in San Luis Obispo County and Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn, with mudslides and rockslides and pieces of pavement badly damaged or entirely swept away.

Highway 1 at Paul’s Slide was the hardest hit.

By the end of 2023, the roughly 2-mile stretch in the slide area, from Limekiln State Park north to Lucia, was the only portion of Highway 1 that remained fully closed, according to online road information from Caltrans.

Caltrans said in December that a full reopening was scheduled for late spring, but that rain this winter season could delay it.

Caltrans

New rockslides have extended the closure of a stretch of Highway 1 that has been closed for more than a year for major repairs due to damage.