Southern Closure of Highway 1 to Move North to Big Creek on Friday

MONTEREY COUNTY – The southern closure of Highway 1, currently in place just north of Pacific Valley at PM 16, will relocate north to the Big Creek Vista Point at PM 27.3 on Friday, Feb. 19, at 5 p.m. This is three days earlier than originally anticipated.

This will open up an additional 11 miles of the highway on the south side of Rat Creek. 

Once established, the southern turnaround at Big Creek Vista Point at PM 27.3 and the northern turnaround just north of the Lime Creek Bridge at PM 32.1 will serve as the landmark limits for public travel on Highway 1 while repairs are being made at Rat Creek.

In upcoming weeks, these turnarounds will be improved with permanent surfacing and enhanced striping.

Sections of Highway 1 on the approach to these turnarounds will continue to be subject to one way reversing traffic control at various points as cleanup operations continue. Motorists can expect delays of up to 10 minutes.

At Rat Creek, woody debris and debris flow material continues to be hauled out of the upstream basin and is being trucked off-site.

Engineering teams continue to study possible repair options. No repair method at Rat Creek has been selected and there is no timeline at present for when that decision might be made.

Caltrans reminds motorists to move over and slow down when driving through highway work zones.

For traffic updates on other state highways in Monterey County, travelers may contact Caltrans District 5 Public Affairs at 805-549-3318 or can visit the District 5 website at: dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-5