Highway 1 reopens after landslide south of Big Sur

California Highway 1 lovers, take note: A section of the coastal route that has been shut for nearly two months reopened Thursday afternoon, but that’s hardly the end of repairs and slowdowns in other stretches.

Caltrans spokeswoman Susana Cruz said repairs to the scenic road at a point roughly 40 miles south of Big Sur have been completed and that lanes in both directions have opened to traffic. This spot was closed by a landslide April 14, forcing motorists to make a long inland detour using U.S. Highway 101.

The news is less cheery for other parts of Highway 1:

-- The southbound lane near Rocky Creek Bridge south of Carmel, which was washed away by winter storms, likely will not be rebuilt for a year or two, Cruz said. Until then, north-south travelers share a single lane that is controlled by a traffic signal. This part of the road was closed in March and reopened to single-lane traffic in late April.

-- Construction to replace a drainage culvert in Carmel is reducing traffic to a single lane in both directions from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays through late July, Cruz said.

-- As of Thursday, Caltrans reported more areas of Highway 1 temporarily down to a single lane for north- and southbound traffic, including areas near Pebble Beach, Half Moon Bay and Bodega Bay.

So how much time will all this add to a weekend spin up the coast? Cruz couldn’t offer an estimate, she said, because it depends on how much traffic there is.

For updates, check Caltrans’ Current Highway Conditions online (enter “1” in the box) or call (800) 427-7623 before you go.