Caltrans prepares to reopen washed-out section of Highway 1 Friday

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION) - Caltrans announced that it will be reopening a washed-out section of Highway 1 south of Big Sur on Friday, a week earlier than originally announced.

The roadway will reopen at noon for the first time since it was washed out during January storms. There is still a closure in place from two miles north of the area to three miles south.

There will still be some road work in the area, but Caltrans said construction phases have been ordered in a way that allows for it to reopen while work continues. Over the coming months, Caltrans said crews will install a permanent guardrail, construct headwalls at culvert inlets, work on final grading features and place erosion control measures on both sides of the road.

One part of the construction that has not started yet is a tunneling operation to install a 10 foot diameter, one-inch thick steel pipe culvert to improve water flow capacity during storms.

#Caltrans will re-open #Hwy1 at Rat Creek near #BigSur on Friday, April 23 at 12 noon, two months ahead of schedule. This section of roadway was lost in a debris flow Jan. 28. Drainage and guardrail work will continue following the opening. Good work by all.@CaltransD5 pic.twitter.com/2aTsRf2gVk

— Jim Shivers (@PIOJimShivers) April 19, 2021

Since the section of road washed out on Jan. 28, Caltrans said crews have worked at the site seven days a week during daylight hours, which has allowed them to reopen Highway 1 at Rat Creek in 86 days. The agency said weather conditions have also helped them move quickly. Construction was briefly halted when the body of a Templeton woman was found at the construction site.

While construction continues over the next few months, Caltrans says drivers can expect some delays as they do intermittent traffic control.