Highway 1 reopens after being closed since Sunday due to rockslide
Highway 1 in Northern San Luis Obispo County reopened Friday with 24-hour traffic controls, according to a California Department of Transportation news release.
The roadway — between Ragged Point and the Elephant Seal Vista Point — had been closed since Sunday due to a rockslide.
“The (New Year’s Eve) reopening of Highway 1 under 24-hour traffic control has been made possible by progress on the dislodging of a mass of undermined rock and debris from above the roadway,” Caltrans said.
Workers performed rock scaling and rappelled down the hillside to dislodge rock and debris, followed by a blasting of the rock mass, resulting in “removal of major portions of the undermined rock mass,” Caltrans said.
Engineers are still evaluating water percolating from areas around the reduced rock mass and “the slide area will be under continuous monitoring by crews” with continued work in the area in the coming weeks.
Caltrans maintenance staff, engineers and contracted scaling teams performed rock scaling today on Hwy. 1 south of Ragged Point where a rock slide occurred. Assessments and work to dislodge an undermined rock formation continues tomorrow followed by our update.@PIOJimShivers pic.twitter.com/9xMy4BMQVl
— Caltrans District 5 (@CaltransD5) December 30, 2021
Traffic control will include 24-hour monitoring with one lane open at a time for cars to pass, and “flaggers in the area,” which is located south of Ragged Point at a spot known as Polar Star (Post Mile 71.8), Caltrans said.
Travelers can expect delays and can get updates by contacting Caltrans District 5 Public Affairs at 805-549-3318 or by going to the District 5 website at dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-5.
