Big Sur: New slide shuts down Highway 1 [Updated]

More trouble for travelers to Big Sur: California Highway 1, still closed in both directions by a March 16 landslide that struck 13 miles south of Carmel, has been shut down by a slide at another point, about 25 miles south of Big Sur, along the Central California coast. Detours can take hours.

State contractors had hoped to clear the new slide by Thursday afternoon, but now they estimate they may not finish until 7:30 pm. Thursday, according to a news release from the California Department of Transportation. Until then, the scenic seaside highway, which provides access to several state parks in the Big Sur area, is shut down in both directions at Limekiln Creek.

[Updated at 2:40 p.m. Friday, March 25: Highway 1 remained closed Friday at Limekiln Creek after a contractor’s loader was hit by a boulder. No reopening time was given by the California Department of Transportation. And about 2.8 miles north of the San Francisco/Marin County line, at Erica Road, another Highway 1 mudslide was blocking traffic, according to the Caltrans website.]

Meanwhile, the outlook for travel in the area of the March 16 slide, which collapsed a section of Highway 1 and shut down two miles of the road, is not clear. Caltrans crews say it will take several weeks, at least, to complete a temporary repair there.

Stormy weather has hampered efforts to clear both slides, and more rain is expected in the region over the weekend.

For updates on road conditions, go to Caltrans’ road information page and enter “1” in the search box or call its information line: (800) 427-7623.