16 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY May 30-june 5, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com Between a Rock and a Slide There is perhaps no more scenic place to sit in a vehicle, idling in traffic, than on Highway 1 in Big Sur. Time the convoy just right and you can wait your turn at Hurricane Point, where there’s a pullout normally reserved for tourists with selfie sticks. Some people sit in their cars—a useful windbreak—reading books. Some do chores, like beating dirt out of their floor mats, or reshuffle the contents of their trunk. As drivers pass in the opposite direction, people honk and wave to say hello. The line of cars regularly backs up into the hundreds in either direction at 7am and 5pm daily, when California Highway Patrol allows vehicles to pass in a controlled convoy in the intact northbound lane—at other hours of the day, construction crews are working to stabilize the road at Rocky Creek. For nearly two months this spring, this was the normal course of business for travel into and out of Big Sur to the north until traffic signals were installed, allowing 24/7 passage on May 17. (Forget travel from the south, which has been closed due to a slide since January of 2023—and two new slides since then mean the timeline for restoring access there is an open question.) The one paved road through Big Sur is perpetually in trouble. Highway 1 closures are just part of life. By Sara Rubin The southbound lane of Highway 1 slipped out, along with the earth underneath it, on March 30. The northbound lane has remained stable, meaning vehicles could get in and out of Big Sur to the north, while three slides have been blocking access to the south. Crews working on the upper part of Regent’s Slide on May 16. This slide, which happened in March 2024, is expected to be cleared in late fall, reopening complete Highway 1 access for the first time since January 2023. Daniel Dreifuss Caltrans
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