PSA: CA Hwy 1 cut off at Big Sur due to irreparable cracks in Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge

Lain

DIS Veteran
Joined
Oct 4, 2014
For anyone planning a road trip up or down California Highway 1, the recent rain storms have caused cracks in the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge, closing off traffic through that part of Big Sur. Caltrans now says the damage is irreparable and the bridge will have to be replaced, which may take 6 months or more.

See: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/See-the-Big-Sur-bridge-that-s-cracked-and-10951909.php

The closure means travelers can no longer make the complete road-trip along California's scenic Highway 1. Motorists may now only travel south on State Route 1 from Carmel to just south of Palo Colorado in Monterey County and north from Cambria to Ragged Point in San Luis Obispo County.
 
6 months..... I'll be there in 5 months.

Keep watching. That 6 months is just an estimate -- actually, a wild guess. They can't give a real estimate until they have a design for the replacement; they can't come up with a design until they drill to assess the soil they're going into; and they couldn't even drill until late last week because of the saturated soil. They should have a better estimate in a few weeks.
 
It now looks like it will 9-12 months from now (Mar 10, 2017) before the bridge, and hence the road, is back in service. Look at this thread I just posted on this forum: https://www.disboards.com/threads/hwy-1-through-big-sur-may-be-closed-for-9-to-12-months.3586993/

Sorry to all those who were planning on this road trip. But I'm even sorrier for the workers and businesses in Big Sur. I don't see how any of them can survive a year without income. I hope the state of California provides some relief.

Bob
 


It now looks like it will 9-12 months from now (Mar 10, 2017) before the bridge, and hence the road, is back in service. Look at this thread I just posted on this forum: https://www.disboards.com/threads/hwy-1-through-big-sur-may-be-closed-for-9-to-12-months.3586993/

Sorry to all those who were planning on this road trip. But I'm even sorrier for the workers and businesses in Big Sur. I don't see how any of them can survive a year without income. I hope the state of California provides some relief.

Bob
I know I can't get in via the bridge, but isn't there some other way I can get there for the day? I don't mind not being able to drive on the coast, but I still want to spend at least a full day at Big Sur.
 


Can't really be done now with the bridge out. From the south there's ongoing mudslide removal.

Sure it can. Highway 1 is fully open now from Monterey to the closure at the now defunct Pfeiffer Canyon bridge. But you can certainly get to the town of Big Sur, enjoy the River Inn, Andrew Molera State Park, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, etc. At the end of the day, you'll have to turn back north to Monterey.

Nacimiento Rd is now open, also. So you can get south of the bridge via that, although it's a twisty road, and a bit scary for some. AFAIK, the south half of Highway 1 is still closed from Ragged Point to the Pfeiffer Canyon bridge. But I expect that to re-open within weeks.

Bob
 
Bob, thanks for your tips. I think I'll pass on Nacimiento Road, since the first Google result for that road is a website called "dangerousroads.com". Ha!

I would love it if I could get all the way down to the bridge, then swing back north and over to 101 and then cross over and go back NORTH to the bridge, if only to say that I did the entire PCH, except for the bridge. So if you're saying that the rest of Highway 1 should reopen soon, that's good news.

Otherwise, I was just going to cross over 46 to Cambria and then go as north as Hearst Castle.
 
I would love it if I could get all the way down to the bridge, then swing back north and over to 101 and then cross over and go back NORTH to the bridge, if only to say that I did the entire PCH, except for the bridge. So if you're saying that the rest of Highway 1 should reopen soon, that's good news.
Technically the PCH doesn't run through Big Sur. That's really only from Ventura County down to Orange County. They've got official highway names in Northern California, but very few people use them.

The way people refer to California State Route 1 and highways in general could be a topic to itself. Around the Bay Area we call it "Highway 1". In Southern California they call their portion the Pacific Coast Highway. They also refer to other highways as "the 101" while we in Northern California generally call it "101", "Highway 101", or "US 101".
 
Can't really be done now with the bridge out.
The Pfeiffer bridge is south of Big Sur. One could take HWY101 to Salinas - CTR68 to Monterey - HWY1 to Big Sur.
Big Sur Lodge is still open. Ventana Inn is closed.
 
I'll be staying in Pacific Grove and just doing day trips everywhere. I have never been in the area. It looks like I should just take 101 to Pacific Grove and drop down into Big Sur on my Big Sur day and I will avoid the issues with the bridge and mud?
 
I'll be staying in Pacific Grove and just doing day trips everywhere. I have never been in the area. It looks like I should just take 101 to Pacific Grove and drop down into Big Sur on my Big Sur day and I will avoid the issues with the bridge and mud?

Yes. From SFO or SJC, you take US 101 south to CA 156 west to CA 1 south to Pacific Grove or Monterey. Then, when you want to go to Big Sur, just take CA 1 south. It's open to the village of Big Sur - actually as far south as the defunct Pfeiffer Canyon bridge, just south of the village.

Bob
 
There was a massive new slide on the southern part of the Big Sur coast in recent days. Over a million tons of rock and dirt. The repair times being tossed around are on the order of a year! But the geologists believe that the slide is still moving, so nothing can be done until it becomes stable. Currently, the only access to the middle portion of the Big Sur coast is via Nacimiento Road, a very twisty and somewhat scary minor back road.

BigSur-TA-RTX37GFT.jpg
 
Seems like nature is conspiring against my trip. What are my options for getting from Hearst Castle to the famous spot in Big Sur, and then on to San Francisco? Or do I need to simply skip Big Sur and just head to San Fran?
 
Seems like nature is conspiring against my trip. What are my options for getting from Hearst Castle to the famous spot in Big Sur, and then on to San Francisco? Or do I need to simply skip Big Sur and just head to San Fran?

Helicopter. They've actually been using them to deal with the current road closures.
 
They'll connect my car too?

Probably not. Some of the fancy hotels in the area have packages that include helicopter transportation. Monterey County did send supplies in by helicopter when there were basically no other options short of sending supplies by mule.
 
Probably not. Some of the fancy hotels in the area have packages that include helicopter transportation. Monterey County did send supplies in by helicopter when there were basically no other options short of sending supplies by mule.

Guess I'm skiping Big Sur then. Take the long way from Cambria to San Francisco.
 
Seems like nature is conspiring against my trip. What are my options for getting from Hearst Castle to the famous spot in Big Sur, and then on to San Francisco? Or do I need to simply skip Big Sur and just head to San Fran?

If by "famous spot in Big Sur" you mean the village of Big Sur, then your route would be:
From Cambria, CA46 west to Paso Robles. US101 north to Salinas. CA68 west to Monterey. And finally CA1 south to Big Sur.

A little over 3 hours without stops. But it's a more boring route, so you probably won't want scenic stops until you hit Monterey, anyway. From there, it's only 26 miles to Big Sur; but a very scenic 26 miles.

Timewise, it's not a big loss - about an hour further. But scenery-wise, it's a huge loss.

HTH,
Bob
 

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