Update March 8 at 5 p.m.:
Highway 1 at Mud Creek reopened Friday, March 8 at 3:30 p.m. after Caltrans received confirmation from National Weather Service data that the significant storms have passed in the area.
Contractor and Caltrans crews worked through the day clearing slide material, repairing and paving the roadway to make it safe for public traffic, according to Caltrans District 5 Public Information Officer Susana Cruz. Maintenance crews will continue to monitor the site throughout the weekend.
Original Story:
For those headed to Big Sur this weekend, prepare to take the long way. Highway 1 is undergoing yet another preemptive closure just south of Mud Creek due to large cracks in the roadway. Mud Creek is located about an hour north of campus and falls in between Cal Poly and the Big Sur coastline. This closure is the sixth preemptive closure on Highway 1 closure this year.
“When you combine a heavy dose of rain with the geography that is the Big Sur coast, it results or can result, and certainly has resulted in varying degrees of mudslides, rock slides, [and] slip outs. But what we are dealing with now is preemptive closures when we sense strong storms coming through the area” Caltrans District Five Public Information Officer Jim Shivers said.
The area near Mud Creek was closed after a rainstorm earlier this week along with an area further north near Paul’s Slide. The closure near Paul’s Slide reopened at at 5 p.m. on March 7, but the Mud Creek section of the highway will remain closed until the crack is repaired, according to Shivers.
#Hwy1 #BigSur Update: the road at Paul’s Slide (Mile Marker 21.5) will RE-OPEN at 5pm tonight but Mud Creek (MM 8.9) remains CLOSED due to storm damage. Local businesses along coast route are open & accessible. @bigsurkate @BigSurCC @CHP_Coastal
— Caltrans District 5 (@CaltransD5) March 7, 2019
For the time being, Shivers recommended sticking to state-maintained highways when finding an alternate route to Big Sur. Shivers said efforts to fix the roadway have already begun and Caltrans is aiming to reopen the highway as soon as possible. According to Shivers, pavement repairs near Mud Creek are scheduled for March 8.