Pacific Coast Highway collapses at Rat Creek

[DeaconG]

Looks like heavy rains caused a section of the road to wash out.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/30/us/big-sur-road-collapse-trnd/index.html

They aren't sure when they'll be able to get it fixed, but they did get a construction company to start the cleanup process.

[hotdogPi]

Don't worry, kernals12 will probably figure out a way to get the road open before midnight his time zone (4½ hours).

FritzOwl would also be able to if he ever read outside Fictional Highways.

[Max Rockatansky]

Could've have been way worse with the 14-16 inches of rain they got over there over two days.  Considering how often I see things like this in the CHPWs and even the scars of slides while driving the road I can't fathom this will be a Mud Creek level closure length. 

Fritz would just mow the entirety of Big Sur into Interstate gradient compliance. 

[RZF]

All you gotta do is floor it for about 500 feet before the gap and you can clear it with ease. CalTrans doesn't need to repair anything.

[pderocco]

Why is it closed from Ragged Point? That's 30 miles away. What if you want to go to Lucia? Or Gorda? Or Nacimiento-Fergusson Road?

[Max Rockatansky]

Why is it closed from Ragged Point? That's 30 miles away. What if you want to go to Lucia? Or Gorda? Or Nacimiento-Fergusson Road?

I'm sure to assess Mud Creek.

[gonealookin]

The long-term (obviously many months) closure will be from the entrance to Esalen Institute on the north side (MP 32.6) to Big Creek Vista Point on the south (MP 27.3).  Map here.  Access to Esalen is open now, while the southern closure point will be moved north to Big Creek in a couple weeks.

Full story from the Monterey Herald. They are still discussing whether to fill the Rat Creek gap or build a new bridge there.

The article also mentions that Nacimiento-Fergusson Road (which is south of Big Creek) needs work as well.

Nacimiento-Fergusson Road, the only east-west highway that connects Highway 1 with Highway 101 in the Big Sur region, saw major damage from the Dolan Fire and then from the storm that damaged the roadway at Rat Creek. While crews cleared it enough to serve emergency purposes for residents in the area, parts of the road washed out and others are covered in debris, which could eliminate it as an option for crew bringing in and bringing out material for the Rat Creek project.

"They were saying the first 5.5 miles from Highway 1, the ascent, it's best if you have an ATV for that,"  Drabinski said.

[Max Rockatansky]

The long-term (obviously many months) closure will be from the entrance to Esalen Institute on the north side (MP 32.6) to Big Creek Vista Point on the south (MP 27.3).  Map here.  Access to Esalen is open now, while the southern closure point will be moved north to Big Creek in a couple weeks.

Full story from the Monterey Herald. They are still discussing whether to fill the Rat Creek gap or build a new bridge there.

The article also mentions that Nacimiento-Fergusson Road (which is south of Big Creek) needs work as well.

Nacimiento-Fergusson Road, the only east-west highway that connects Highway 1 with Highway 101 in the Big Sur region, saw major damage from the Dolan Fire and then from the storm that damaged the roadway at Rat Creek. While crews cleared it enough to serve emergency purposes for residents in the area, parts of the road washed out and others are covered in debris, which could eliminate it as an option for crew bringing in and bringing out material for the Rat Creek project.

"They were saying the first 5.5 miles from Highway 1, the ascent, it's best if you have an ATV for that,"  Drabinski said.

For what it is worth the Forest Service had it opened in short order after the heavy rains in 2017 and Mud Creek Slide when it was in similar condition.  I'm sure that Los Padres National Forest already has people twisting their arm to clear it for access.