July 17, 2018 – Great news for hospitality businesses on the Monterey Peninsula and in Big Sur, Highway 1 will reopen tomorrow at 10am at Mud Creek allowing travelers to drive the full length of the iconic highway in both directions for the first time in nearly two years.
Trouble along Highway 1 began with road closures due to the Soberanes Fire in 2016, which was followed by winter mudslides and the failure of Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge in 2017. Then an entire mountainside at Mud Creek, near Gorda, gave way in May of last year sending 8 million cubic feet of earth into the surf below.
The Mud Creek slide required a new 1/4 mile stretch of roadway to be built on top of the scarred mountain. The $54 million repair is built on the slide material and a compacted embankment at the south and north ends. It is 150 to 260 feet above sea level and buttressed with a series of embankments, berms, rocks, netting, culverts and other stabilizing material. Authorities say it will take at least two winters for the raw hillside to fully stabilize.
Local hotels and restaurants have been feeling the effects of the closure as tourists—especially those coming from far away—chose different destinations, postponing their trips to the spectacular Big Sur coast until it was possible to travel the entire length—a drive considered one of the classic American road trips.
Highway 1 is opening two months ahead of schedule and two days earlier than originally announced. But a ribbon-cutting ceremony and community celebration set for 11am Friday at Ragged Point Inn will still take place as planned. Among the speakers at the ceremony will be Caltrans director Laurie Berman, State Senator Bill Monning, Monterey County Supervisor Mary Adams and contractor John Madonna.
Caltrans says motorists may still encounter some delays at Mud Creek, with one-way traffic control when a lane closure is needed to complete the repairs, mostly on weekdays.
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At Edible Monterey Bay, our mission is to celebrate the local food culture of Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Counties, season by season. We believe in sustainability, and we believe everyone has a right to healthful, clean and affordable food. We think knowing where our food comes from is powerful, and we hope our magazine, website and newsletters inspire readers to get to know and support our local growers, fishers, chefs, vintners and food artisans.
