Parade Greets Reopening of California 1
Cars wound along the top of this region’s jagged ocean cliffs Saturday for the first time since the stretch of coastal California 1 was closed because of earthquake damage.
Residents greeted the traffic with a parade, balloons and a “Welcome Back” banner strung across the road. The stretch of highway leading to town from the south has been closed since January, 1990, cutting the flow of beach-goers and their spending.
“I like to share this place with the rest of the world,” said waitress Elaine Brown, who has lived in this community north of San Francisco for 20 years. “They pay my rent.”
The roadway, which had been slowly settling since 1982, began to drop at a rate of one foot per month after the Oct. 17, 1989, earthquake. The 800-foot segment above Stinson Beach was moved 250 feet inland, displacing 75,000 cubic yards of dirt and rock.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
