Highway 1 reopens after rock slide is cleared north of Cambria

Good news for road trippers heading to Highway 1: No need to detour off the Central Coast roadway -- at least not for now.

The small section of California’s Highway 1 that had been blocked by a rock slide for a week and a half was reopened to two-way traffic along a single lane on midday Tuesday, a Caltrans announcement says. The area at mile marker 22 just south of the town of Lucia forced travelers heading north from Cambria or south from Big Sur to detour around the slide area.

The area, known as Pitkins Curve, has been eroded by water and storms over the years and had become particularly vulnerable to rock and land slides.

Construction began in 2009 on a bridge (that will take drivers closer to the water) and a “rock shed” to catch rocks and debris from falling onto the road. Caltrans expects to complete the $29-million project in spring 2013.