BIG SUR – Highway 1 can be completely closed in Rocky Creek to accommodate heavy equipment as a part of repairs to the roadway where a slide occurred earlier this yr.
Caltrans plans to completely close Highway 1 in Rocky Creek for twenty-four hours starting at 10 p.m. Friday and reopen the road to through traffic at 10 p.m. Saturday
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The 24-hour road closures are obligatory to permit work crews to put in nine precast concrete beams as construction progresses on a viaduct to exchange a bit of the southbound lane that was lost on account of a slip in March.
During girder installation, two heavy cranes can be in use at either end of the project area and vehicles won’t be permitted to travel through the positioning.
The schedule for this 24-hour closure is weather dependent, based on Caltrans. Updates can be provided to verify or announce changes to this schedule. If the weather makes it obligatory to postpone the assembly of the girders, the primary alternative date for this work could be Saturday, 10 p.m. to Sunday, 10 p.m
But work on the roadway because the problem began has paved the best way for the following phase of repair efforts.
“Immediately following the March 30 slide, crews worked for several weeks to stabilize the remaining portion of the southbound lane,” said Caltrans District 5 spokesman Kevin Drabinski. “Once stabilization is achieved, crews will begin work planning emergency repairs aimed at returning the roadway to two full lanes. The design calls for the construction of a viaduct, a feature relatively common along Highway 1 along the Big Sur coast. Viaducts are often used to bridge routes where the grade may naturally slope and support beneath the roadway is required.”
Rocky Creek is 12 miles south of Carmel. The slide occurred south of the Rocky Creek Bridge on Highway 1 – after mile 60 – and resulted within the undermining of the southbound lane. Caltrans crews' emergency stabilization measures were implemented and 24-hour one-way traffic control was established with signals to permit traffic to flow freely south toward Big Sur businesses.
The emergency project continues with construction of a viaduct to support the roadway and repairs to a concrete embankment at the bottom of the cliff.
Teams have made significant progress during a construction phase that involved drilling and casting reinforced concrete columns to support the burden of the viaduct structure.
“The design of this viaduct includes support at both ends and two support columns in the middle,” Drabinski said. “The two middle supports ensure a three-span construction. Three beams are placed across the three spans. In total, nine precast concrete beams ranging from 45 to 65 feet in length will be installed throughout the 24-hour closure.”
Drabinski added that over the past few months, crews have been drilling holes, lowering rebar cages inside and pouring the concrete to create these support columns, amongst quite a few other construction-related tasks. The concrete beams function a supporting structure for the southern carriageway of the viaduct bridge deck.
The contractor for this project is Gordon N. Ball, Inc. of Alamo. The estimated price tag for the Rocky Creek Slip-out repair work is $21 million.
Highway 1 stays closed at Regent's Slide, 40 miles south of Carmel, on account of the Regent's Slide – after mile 27.8 – which occurred March 9 and commenced April 30 with the removal of slide material from top to bottom was began by the crews.
Difficult conditions related to the positioning's extreme slope and ongoing slide activity have prolonged the reopening date, but nearly all of Big Sur's coastline stays accessible and open.
Road information and updates will also be found on Caltrans District 5's social media platforms: X/Twitter at: @CaltransD5, Facebook at: Caltrans Central Coast (District 5), and Instagram at: Caltrans_D5.
Originally published:
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