FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — The major storm that brought widespread rain and heavy amounts of snow across the state washed out part of Highway 1 on the Central California coast.
A section of Highway 1 south of Big Sur near the San Luis Obispo County line was washed out into the ocean following debris flow, flooding and mudslides.
It’s unclear how long it will take to repair the roadway. In the meantime, the highway is closed, and drivers are asked to take alternate routes.
*Spoiler Alert, it won’t be anytime soon.*
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) officials said in a statement Friday a debris flow from the hillside above the roadway “overwhelmed drainage infrastructure, flowed across the highway, and eroded the road resulting in the complete loss of a segment of Highway 1” at Rat Creek, about 15 miles south of Big Sur, amountainous stretch of the state’s central coast.
In May 2017 another section of Highway 1 was wiped out south of Monterey, from Ragged Point to Gorda, Calif.
It took 14 months to re-open.