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Regional Boards => Pacific Southwest => Topic started by: Kniwt on April 26, 2017, 05:00:03 PM

Title: US 101 reopens in Mendocino, closes again after new landslide (caught on video)
Post by: Kniwt on April 26, 2017, 05:00:03 PM
KRCR-TV reports:
http://www.krcrtv.com/north-coast-news/caltrans-landslide-cleanup-has-begun-no-estimated-reopening/458146644

QuoteUPDATE 4/26: The landslide that closed Highway 101 again last night has remained active through the night, according to Caltrans District 1.

Around 10:30 a.m, a Caltran's contractor has given the okay to begin cleanup on the slide.

There is no estimated reopening at this time, according to officials.

______________________________

UPDATE 4/25: Another landslide has closed Highway 101 Tuesday night April 25, north of Leggett after just reopening to one-way traffic Monday, according to Caltrans District 1.

Video of the latest landslide:

https://youtu.be/I8Npelf1gdM
Title: Re: US 101 reopens in Mendocino, closes again after new landslide (caught on video)
Post by: nexus73 on April 26, 2017, 07:14:27 PM
Thanks Kniwt for posting this.  My friend and I were heading for Ukiah from the southern Oregon coast Thursday morning.  Now we will go to Plan B.  Too bad the slide got all frisky again as I was looking forward to some Mendocino sunshine with temps in the 70's.

Rick
Title: Re: US 101 reopens in Mendocino, closes again after new landslide (caught on video)
Post by: myosh_tino on April 26, 2017, 07:26:25 PM
Quote from: Kniwt on April 26, 2017, 05:00:03 PM
Video of the latest landslide:

https://youtu.be/I8Npelf1gdM

Incredible video! Holy crap!!!!  :-o :wow:
Title: Re: US 101 reopens in Mendocino, closes again after new landslide (caught on video)
Post by: Max Rockatansky on April 26, 2017, 09:48:18 PM
Well that sucks, all that work for nothing....

Incidentally anyone else noticed CA 1 in Big Sur is now saying it will be opening on June 14th instead of May 1st on the State Map now?
Title: Re: US 101 reopens in Mendocino, closes again after new landslide (caught on video)
Post by: sparker on April 29, 2017, 06:32:59 AM
Quote from: myosh_tino on April 26, 2017, 07:26:25 PM
Quote from: Kniwt on April 26, 2017, 05:00:03 PM
Video of the latest landslide:

https://youtu.be/I8Npelf1gdM

Incredible video! Holy crap!!!!  :-o :wow:
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on April 26, 2017, 09:48:18 PM
Well that sucks, all that work for nothing....

Incidentally anyone else noticed CA 1 in Big Sur is now saying it will be opening on June 14th instead of May 1st on the State Map now?

Only the latest incident to occur on that 2-lane segment of US 101 that has been proposed for bypassing for decades, only to be shot down by environmental and local NIMBY objectors.  That segment, coupled with the similar one slightly north passing through Richardson Grove is the reason commercial truck service to Eureka and the rest of the northern coast is required to use CA 299 (not a picnic by any means!).  Unfortunately, those substandard sections are perceived by those same objectors to be the only thing keeping far NW CA out of developers' clutches -- which is a "straw man" argument, as most of the more vulnerable land in that area is already state or national parkland -- and the virtual demise of the region's logging industry renders the area, to a large degree, less than desirable for potential investors.  Right now Humboldt County is one of the more economically depressed areas of the state; finally providing efficient access via US 101 probably won't bring back much in the way of jobs and/or capital, but it certainly would likely lessen the isolation effect endemic to that area while promoting additional tourism to partially offset the loss of lumber-related employment.   


Title: Re: US 101 reopens in Mendocino, closes again after new landslide (caught on video)
Post by: Max Rockatansky on April 29, 2017, 09:55:17 AM
^^^

Funny you say that....  I got a call from my half-brother asking if I thought his half-sister (which I'm unrelated to) should move to Humboldt County with her husband which just so happens to be where he's from.  They already tried moving to San Diego and couldn't hack it there with a relatively healthy economy, I have no idea what the hell they are going to do up there in Eureka.  Granted, I'm talking about the kind of people who generally are kind of attracted to areas like Humboldt for a reason...I just don't know how they are going to pay for their kids asides from handouts from family.  Its not like there is much in the way of logging these days

BUT I DIGRESS, I had a look at the QuickMap today.  It would seem that US 101 is open again with one-way traffic controls. 
Title: Re: US 101 reopens in Mendocino, closes again after new landslide (caught on video)
Post by: sparker on April 29, 2017, 02:48:38 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on April 29, 2017, 09:55:17 AM
^^^

Funny you say that....  I got a call from my half-brother asking if I thought his half-sister (which I'm unrelated to) should move to Humboldt County with her husband which just so happens to be where he's from.  They already tried moving to San Diego and couldn't hack it there with a relatively healthy economy, I have no idea what the hell they are going to do up there in Eureka.  Granted, I'm talking about the kind of people who generally are kind of attracted to areas like Humboldt for a reason...I just don't know how they are going to pay for their kids asides from handouts from family.  Its not like there is much in the way of logging these days

BUT I DIGRESS, I had a look at the QuickMap today.  It would seem that US 101 is open again with one-way traffic controls. 

Unless you can secure a teaching job at Humboldt State -- or are a prison guard looking to find work at Pelican Bay, there's not a lot of employment or entrepreneurial opportunities along the north coast.  Adding to that is the phenomenon of an almost perpetual fog bank sitting off the Eureka coastline that seems to advance and retreat over Humboldt Bay daily -- particularly in summer and early fall; it sort of casts a pall over the commercial/cultural center of the region.  I've met a few folks who were born & raised in that area, including a professor of literature at USC (the ex-boyfriend of a longtime close female friend) -- and to a person, they all suffer from some form of depression (with most being on regular medication for such).  I'm not a psychologist, but it seems that the combination of regional isolation coupled with the lack of regular sunlight for much of the year might be a contributory factor to the onset of depressive states (in those with inherent tendencies for that) that might in some instances carry over into one's lifetime.  The area has its beauty -- and, for the most part, life seems to be functioning at a more leisurely pace up there -- but I like traveling through the area and stopping to appreciate what it has to offer.  I certainly couldn't see living there for any extended period.   
Title: Re: US 101 reopens in Mendocino, closes again after new landslide (caught on video)
Post by: Max Rockatansky on April 29, 2017, 02:55:02 PM
Personally I give it 18 months tops before they are limping back Phoenix tail between the legs.  Neither of them would meet the minimum qualifications for correctional work given some of their past misdeeds.  That probably isn't a good idea to head to a place with no sun directly from a city like Phoenix where it is constant...talk about no vitamin D.  The worst part is now that they'll expect me to visit them when I'm up in the area...a free night stay would be highly questionable given who might come knocking at night.
Title: Re: US 101 reopens in Mendocino, closes again after new landslide (caught on video)
Post by: nexus73 on April 30, 2017, 10:59:15 PM
Having made it back from my road trip, it was nice to see 101 finally opened as the amount of traffic into Humboldt County was obviously down.  Thanks to Progressives Against Progress, including so many from that area, the residents of Humboldt and Del Norte county were almost completely cut off from the south.  299 is such a long detour and the road is substandard.  That discourages any sort of casual to regular detouring. 

Surprise discovery of the trip: SR 96 from Willow Creek to I-5 is an amazingly great highway set in beautiful country.  Four slideouts had taken place and are now being repaired with very little delay due to the low traffic count.  The Humboldt County section is nicknamed the Bigfoot Highway and it was a 1 in 365 chance that our passing through Willow Creek coincided with the festival in honor of that legendary creature.  Do not expect much for services between the ends of the route but be ready to enjoy nature at its finest!

Rick
Title: Re: US 101 reopens in Mendocino, closes again after new landslide (caught on video)
Post by: Max Rockatansky on April 30, 2017, 11:11:25 PM
Quote from: nexus73 on April 30, 2017, 10:59:15 PM
Having made it back from my road trip, it was nice to see 101 finally opened as the amount of traffic into Humboldt County was obviously down.  Thanks to Progressives Against Progress, including so many from that area, the residents of Humboldt and Del Norte county were almost completely cut off from the south.  299 is such a long detour and the road is substandard.  That discourages any sort of casual to regular detouring. 

Surprise discovery of the trip: SR 96 from Willow Creek to I-5 is an amazingly great highway set in beautiful country.  Four slideouts had taken place and are now being repaired with very little delay due to the low traffic count.  The Humboldt County section is nicknamed the Bigfoot Highway and it was a 1 in 365 chance that our passing through Willow Creek coincided with the festival in honor of that legendary creature.  Do not expect much for services between the ends of the route but be ready to enjoy nature at its finest!

Rick

96 is something that I'd really like to try to tackle at some point this year.  I did 299 last year and had a blast, I would definitely like to knock out 3 and 36 as well provided the opportunity.
Title: Re: US 101 reopens in Mendocino, closes again after new landslide (caught on video)
Post by: sparker on May 01, 2017, 04:24:00 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on April 30, 2017, 11:11:25 PM
96 is something that I'd really like to try to tackle at some point this year.  I did 299 last year and had a blast, I would definitely like to knock out 3 and 36 as well provided the opportunity.

Haven't had the opportunity (nor the need!) to venture over 96 as of yet, although it's certainly on my bucket list.  Did 36 back in the late '80s'; the western part from 101 to 3 is definitely an adventure; although it was about 28 years ago, quite a bit of it was single-lane (I'll guess that the roadway was 17-18' wide overall over those stretches); as it bounces between several river canyons there's a lot of sudden and abrupt elevation changes.  However, the section from 3 east to Red Bluff is a bit tiresome; at the time of my travel, that segment certainly needed a lot of repairs (shoulders crumbling, potholes, etc.), but the scenery itself is somewhat boring and repetitive (low hills, oak trees, sporadic ranches).  Typical east slope of the coast range -- not a lot out there!  I was certainly glad to reach Red Bluff!  But my trip was in mid-fall; if you go during spring, I've heard that the flowers along that (to me) boring stretch can be pretty spectacular.  In any case, good luck -- and don't attempt it in rainy conditions (a few gullies that would likely mean fording!)
Title: Re: US 101 reopens in Mendocino, closes again after new landslide (caught on video)
Post by: Henry on May 01, 2017, 09:44:06 AM
Talk about one unlucky stretch of highway! :(
Title: Re: US 101 reopens in Mendocino, closes again after new landslide (caught on video)
Post by: Max Rockatansky on May 01, 2017, 10:19:11 AM
Quote from: sparker on May 01, 2017, 04:24:00 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on April 30, 2017, 11:11:25 PM
96 is something that I'd really like to try to tackle at some point this year.  I did 299 last year and had a blast, I would definitely like to knock out 3 and 36 as well provided the opportunity.

Haven't had the opportunity (nor the need!) to venture over 96 as of yet, although it's certainly on my bucket list.  Did 36 back in the late '80s'; the western part from 101 to 3 is definitely an adventure; although it was about 28 years ago, quite a bit of it was single-lane (I'll guess that the roadway was 17-18' wide overall over those stretches); as it bounces between several river canyons there's a lot of sudden and abrupt elevation changes.  However, the section from 3 east to Red Bluff is a bit tiresome; at the time of my travel, that segment certainly needed a lot of repairs (shoulders crumbling, potholes, etc.), but the scenery itself is somewhat boring and repetitive (low hills, oak trees, sporadic ranches).  Typical east slope of the coast range -- not a lot out there!  I was certainly glad to reach Red Bluff!  But my trip was in mid-fall; if you go during spring, I've heard that the flowers along that (to me) boring stretch can be pretty spectacular.  In any case, good luck -- and don't attempt it in rainy conditions (a few gullies that would likely mean fording!)

Apparently the extended family I was describing earlier in the thread ended up taking 36 for whatever reason in the middle of the night.  I was told about the crazy mountain road, supposedly they listened to their GPS.  :-D
Title: Re: US 101 reopens in Mendocino, closes again after new landslide (caught on video)
Post by: sparker on May 02, 2017, 02:22:36 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on May 01, 2017, 10:19:11 AM
.................supposedly they listened to their GPS.  :-D

GPS = Gullible People's Shortcut!  To be taken with a whole shaker, rather than a pinch, of salt!  As with most modern "convenience" apparati, it's best not to become too dependent upon its usage.  Adequate for finding specific addresses; considerably less so for finding optimal routes.  :crazy:
Title: Re: US 101 reopens in Mendocino, closes again after new landslide (caught on video)
Post by: Max Rockatansky on May 02, 2017, 07:16:04 AM
Quote from: sparker on May 02, 2017, 02:22:36 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on May 01, 2017, 10:19:11 AM
.................supposedly they listened to their GPS.  :-D

GPS = Gullible People's Shortcut!  To be taken with a whole shaker, rather than a pinch, of salt!  As with most modern "convenience" apparati, it's best not to become too dependent upon its usage.  Adequate for finding specific addresses; considerably less so for finding optimal routes.  :crazy:

Well the really bad thing is that as far as the GPS is concerned the speed limit is 55 MPH on a rural road despite how mountainous or in this case having a single lane segment.  There was some story I was reading a couple years back about someone doing that by accident to get from Tahoe over the Sierras.  Apparently he ended up taking Ebbetts Pass of all roads in the middle of the night, that must have been terrifying being caught completely off guard like that for a good 30 miles.  :-D