After a landslide triggered by heavy rain caused significant damage to California’s Highway 1 near Rock Creek Bridge, about 17 miles south of California, resulting in parts of the highway falling into the ocean, hundreds of individuals were evacuated, with parts of the highway remaining closed into Monday.
The event led to an estimated 1,600 people being cut off, as confirmed by a spokesperson from the California Transportation Department (Caltrans), with some having to spend the night in their cars or seek accommodation in nearby hotels, according to reports from The San Francisco Chronicle.
By Sunday, Caltrans engineers had assessed the situation and opened the northbound lane for limited travel, organizing two convoys to allow stranded motorists and their vehicles to pass through the affected area.
Caltrans announced that starting from Monday, convoys would be scheduled for 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. to facilitate movement through the site.
The highway’s closure persisted into Monday, with Caltrans indicating that it was too soon to predict when repairs might be completed.
Monterey County emphasized the gravity of the situation, declaring it a state disaster.
Efforts to secure the highway’s edge were underway on Sunday, with authorities urging the public to minimize travel in the vicinity.
The landslide also affected all state parks in Big Sur, including popular sites like Point Sur, Pfeiffer Big Sur, Julia Pfeiffer Burns, Andrew Molera, and Limekiln.
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration has been actively involved, coordinating with state agencies to manage the aftermath and extend gratitude to the teams working on restoring the highway.
