BIG SUR - Highway 1 is scheduled to be fully closed at Rocky Creek to accommodate heavy equipment as part of the repair of the roadway where a slip-out occurred earlier this year.
Caltrans plans to have the full closure of Highway 1 at Rocky Creek for 24 hours beginning Friday at 10 p.m., and will reopen the roadway to through travel Saturday at 10 p.m.
The full 24-hour road closure crews is necessary to allow work crews to install nine pre-cast concrete girders as progress advances on construction of a viaduct to replace a section of the southbound lane lost due to a slip-out in March.
Two heavy cranes will be in operation at either end of the project area during the girder installation, and no vehicle travel through the site will be possible.
The schedule for this 24-hour closure is weather dependent, according to Caltrans. Updates will be provided to confirm or announce any changes to this schedule. Should weather force the rescheduling of the girder installation, the first alternative date for this work would be from Saturday at 10 p.m. to Sunday at 10 p.m.
But work on the roadway since the onset of the issue has paved the way for this next phase of the repair effort.
"In the immediate aftermath of the March 30 slip-out, crews worked for several weeks to stabilize the remaining portion of the southbound lane," said Caltrans District 5 spokesman Kevin Drabinski. "Once stabilized, crews begin to design the emergency repair which aims to restore the roadway to two full travel lanes. The design calls for the building of a viaduct, a feature that is relatively common throughout Highway 1 on the Big Sur coast. Viaducts are frequently employed to bridge distances where the slope might naturally fall away and support is required below the roadway."
Rocky Creek is located 12 miles south of Carmel. The slip-out occurred just south of Rocky Creek Bridge on Highway 1 - post mile 60 - resulting in the undermining of the southbound lane. Emergency stabilization measures by Caltrans crews have been achieved and one-way, 24-7, signalized traffic control established to allow traffic to flow freely south to businesses in Big Sur.
The emergency project continues with the construction of a viaduct to support the roadway and repairs to a concrete seawall at the base of the cliff.
Crews have made substantial progress in a construction phase involving the drilling and casting of reinforced concrete columns to support the weight of the viaduct structure.
"The design of this viaduct involves support from the two ends as well as two support columns in the middle," said Drabinski. "The two middle supports make for a three span design. Three girders will be placed across the three spans. All told, nine precast concrete girders ranging from 45 to 65 ft. in length will be installed during the full 24-hour closure."
Drabinski added that among scores of other construction related tasks the last several months, crews have drilled the holes, lowered rebar cages inside and poured the concrete to create these support columns. The concrete girders will serve as the support structure for the southbound lane of the viaduct bridge deck.
"After the girders are installed, the schedule calls for the bridge deck to be paved," said Drabinski. "At that point, traffic will switch over to the southbound lane through the project site, and the process of building the viaduct in the northbound lane will begin."
The contractor for this project is Gordon N. Ball, Inc. of Alamo. The estimated price tag for the repair work at the Rocky Creek slip-out is $21 million.
Highway 1 remains closed at Regent's Slide, 40 miles south of Carmel due to the Regent's Slide - post mile 27.8 - which occurred March 9 and where top-down removal of slide material by crews began on April 30.
Challenging conditions associated with the extreme slope at the site and continued slide activity has extended its reopen date, however, the vast majority of the Big Sur coast remains accessible and open.
Road information and updates can also be found on Caltrans District 5 Social Media platforms: X/Twitter at: @CaltransD5, Facebook at: Caltrans Central Coast (District 5) and Instagram at: Caltrans_D5.